


The Ricochet of My Heart

by architect_N3J



Series: The Ricochet of My Heart [1]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, End-Game spoilers, F/F, F/M, Forgive Me, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Please Don't Kill Me, Post-Game AU, Rex.EXE stopped working but it's serious this time, Rex/Nia is primary ship, Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, Sorry Not Sorry, Y'all are gonna hate me, fluff to make up for my sins, idk I guess other ships are there if you squint at the harbor, not till way later lmao, tagged for your convenience, the extra ships are kinda just in the backgroud
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-25 00:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14366766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/architect_N3J/pseuds/architect_N3J
Summary: After taking a few minutes to clear his head, the salvager reaches into his pocket and procures his most prized possession—the Aegis’s Core Crystal. He takes a deep breath.“Hey—Pyra. Mythra. I’m… I’m really sorry. I promised I’d take you to Elysium. We put everything we had into reaching that goal. And now that we’re finally here...I wonder if it was even worth it.”An AU in which Pneuma never returned from the World Tree, leaving Rex emotionally devastated and heavily stricken with grief. Nia only wants to help, but she ends up getting more than she's looking for—some of which she can't bring herself to accept. Rex, meanwhile, is struggling to find himself again, but something unexpected happens...something that he can't control.





	1. The Gift of Life

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeeeey I'm here with some post-game angst and I'm ready to party
> 
> Welcome to The Ricochet of My Heart. Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.
> 
> Now then... Without further ado, let's get this thing started, shall we?
> 
> DEPLOY THE ANGST

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As he surveys the hollow skies, he can feel his heart slowly shatter into tiny fragments, with each piece dispersing across the perpetual sea, mirroring the countless stars watching him from above. Throughout his silent crisis, the brunette suffocates on the sight of the vacant sky, and reality begins to descend upon his heavy heart, like the dying titan he saw tumble into the Cloud Sea before any of this even began.
> 
> Pyra and Mythra aren't coming back, and Rex has never felt so desolate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for this, other than the fact that Rexia and Pyrex can't exist in the same universe due to the former being canonically overshadowed by the latter. Enjoy my self-indulgent angst that I wrote to fit my multishipper needs.

Rex’s life has reached its lowest point.

He’s endured rough patches before, be it pulling poor hauls from salvaging jobs, or fighting through some of the particularly difficult battles of his adventure.

Nothing, though— _nothing_ —could compare to this.

He sits on the edge of a salvaging dock in Fonsett Village, gazing up at the star-filled sky. There’s still no sign of Pyra or Mythra’s return from the World Tree. _Any minute now_ , he thinks desperately, barely clinging on to a false hope for pointless comfort, just as he refuses to let go of the emerald Core Crystal in his hand. Deep down he knows she’s gone, but he pushes that thought away; he can’t possibly harbor the idea of losing the girl he fell in love with so long ago.

Subconsciously, he caps a hand over his chest. The sudden absence of a Core Crystal there causes him to drown in emptiness, and he chokes back tears. As he surveys the hollow skies, he can feel his heart slowly shatter into tiny fragments, with each piece dispersing across the perpetual sea, mirroring the countless stars watching him from above. Throughout his silent crisis, the brunette suffocates on the sight of the vacant sky, and reality begins to descend upon his heavy heart, like the dying Titan he saw tumble into the Cloud Sea before any of this even began.

Pyra and Mythra aren’t coming back, and Rex has never felt so desolate.

The boy does the only thing he _can_ do; he cries. He can no longer stand the bleak image of the atmosphere above, and the tears that escape his eyes are impossible to suppress. He starts hyperventilating, and he buries his face in his hands, stifling the overwhelming desire to scream. He hasn’t felt this emotionally destroyed since he thought he lost Gramps.

That was an eternity ago.

He’s falling, plummeting through a bottomless pit of melancholy, while misery soaks his bleeding heart. He looks down at the Core Crystal in his hand; what was the point of it all? Why did he travel all the way to Elysium for her if it was going to end this way?

Everything up until now—the time they’ve spent together, the battles they’ve fought—all of it now feels...in vain.

Rex knows what Pyra would say if she were still here; she’d tell him that he would have to move forward without her, that he _can_ move forward without her, but it does nothing to lessen the hole in his heart.

Whether he can or can’t though doesn’t matter. As Zeke had told him, he has to accept her decision. He just isn’t sure how long it’s going to take.

Rex takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm his shaky breathing. He pries his hands from his face, which is coated with tears. He doesn’t bother trying to brush them off; he knows more will surely follow. The salvager stares blankly ahead, no longer sure what he’s doing here anymore. He debates walking back to Corinne’s house, just to avoid someone having to come and get him, but ultimately decides he’ll come back when he feels like it.

He sniffles and returns to his solitary lament. What is he supposed to _do_ now? Just go back to salvaging and live his life like nothing ever happened? _What kind of messed up ending is that?_ For embarking on such a grand adventure, Rex feels like he deserves something a little more, or maybe that’s just him seeking pity. Either way, he needs _something_ to keep him sane. Something he can do to take his mind off the thought of his Blade, to help him let go and live the rest of his life in happiness.

He sighs. “Pyra, Mythra… They wouldn’t want this,” he tells himself. “She sacrificed herself to save us. But still I’m…” He takes a minute to compose himself, doing his best not to break down, at the very least not as badly as before.

“And still I can’t help being so... _pathetic_.”

The brunette sobs heavily and hides his face again. In his despair he doesn’t notice the soft footsteps approaching him from behind.

“Your Aunt’s worried about you, ya know.”

Rex almost falls off the salvaging deck in surprise. He turns to see his visitor is none other than a Gormotti Driver, one who he’s grown to trust.

He sniffs and briskly wipes the remaining tears from his eyes. “N-Nia.”

The girl in question sits down next to the salvager.

“You didn’t...hear any of that, did you?”

“I may have heard a few words,” she admits. “Sorry.”

They’re silent for a while. The Flesh Eater directs her gaze towards the sky above.

“The stars sure are nice tonight.”

No response from the grieving boy next to her.

Nia sighs; she’s never been good at consoling others, but she’s going to try her best.

“Listen, Rex… I know it’s hard. It’s hard to believe any of this is even real.”

She takes a breath, looking back up at the sky.

“But… I just want you to know that I… I mean, we—I mean—” Nia sighs, shaking her head. “Lemme start over.”

Rex is silent while she composes her thoughts, which she’s grateful for. After a minute, she tries again.

“You know… People always say that it’s okay, but deep down...you know it’s not. It’s _never_ okay to lose someone you love. It’s...it’s hell.”

She rests her hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Look, what I’m trying to say is...we’re all here for you. Pyra… She didn’t just sacrifice herself for us. She did it to save everyone living in Alrest. You get me?”

Rex nods as another tear escapes his eye.

“D’you remember those who died for us? Vandham, Miss Fan, Jin...all of them had something or someone they wanted to protect. So, they fought to protect them. It didn’t matter if they died in the process, because in the end, they succeeded by going as far as they could go. And that’s exactly what Pyra and Mythra did for us. So—” Nia’s ears twitch and she chokes back her own tears. “We’ve got to keep living, for her sake. Treasure the gift of life that she gave us.”

She inches closer to wrap her arm around him in a comforting side hug. “I’m really sorry, Rex. We all are.”

The brunette doesn’t make eye contact. He sniffles. “Th-thanks, but...y-you shouldn’t b-be here,” he chokes through his sobs. “I’ll be...okay.”

“No, you won’t.” The Gormotti turns his chin to face her. “Look at me, Rex.”

Rex slowly opens his eyes, and regrets it almost immediately at the worried expression etched on the healer’s face.

“I—”

“Shh. Save it,” she says soothingly, brushing the tears off his cheek. “I already told you.” She gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “We’re here for you. Got it?”

At this, Rex can only nod wordlessly, and silence falls between them. The heartbroken teen throws himself forward without warning, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace and cries into her shoulder. The Flesh Eater is caught off guard for a moment, then relaxes and returns the hug, her cheeks turning pink.

Nia sighs to herself; now isn’t the time for that. There never _was_ a time for that.

With that, she decides against combing her fingers through his hair, even if it would provide just a small amount of reassurance. The last thing she should be doing is taking advantage of Rex’s emotional state. After some thought, however, she decides there can’t be any real harm to it. It’s a comforting gesture; there’s no need to overthink it. Normally she would never in her right mind think of showing affection towards Rex for the sake of her dignity, but just for tonight, she figures she might as well put it aside.

Despite this, she’s hesitant. As of now she’s only stroking his back with her fingers, which is already a bit over the edge by her standards, but the sounds of his muffled sobs is enough to make her heart snap in two.

 _Screw it_ , she resolves. She knows if she doesn’t do it now she’ll surely regret it later.

As the Gormotti gingerly rakes her hands through the hair of the dejected salvager in her arms, she finds that he doesn’t object. He still remains as dismal as before, not a single hint of discomfort in his body language. This is good news; that means she’s not as bad as she thought when it comes to providing solace.

Rex’s breathing gets deep, and after a few minutes, Nia is convinced that he’s fallen asleep, but then he pulls away, albeit hesitantly.

“Thank you...Nia. I really appreciate it.” He brushes the tears from his face for the final time it seems like, before looking up at the skies above and whispering something only he can hear. The healer gives him some time and space to gather the fractions of his broken heart. She stands up to leave, but decides to stay and make sure he’ll be okay until he’s ready to head back. She leans against a nearby tree and waits for him patiently.

Her thoughts won’t allow her the peace and quiet for a second, though. It’s not long before the voice in the back of her head starts to take the helm.

_What are you waiting for? Now’s your chance! With Pyra gone—_

Nia quickly silences the voice in her head before it even has a chance to finish. “This isn’t right,” she mumbles to herself. “Rex belongs to her. I never had a chance…”

The Gormotti sighs, stealing another glance at Rex. “And even if he _did_ eventually fall for me, I could’ve moved on by then. And more importantly, what would Pyra think of that…?”

She shakes her head, no longer willing to allow the thought. By now it looks as though the salvager has finished saying his last goodbyes to his Blade. He stands up and turns around, not expecting the Flesh Eater to still be here.

“I...I thought you left,” is all he can manage as his face heats up. “Did you hear any of that by chance?”

“Not at all,” is her reply. “I was just making sure you’re okay, that’s all.”

Rex flashes her a genuine smile, but it disappears just as quickly as it came.

“You said Auntie Corinne was worried?”

“What? Oh—yeah. She made Lovemerry Cake. You should have a piece.”

Rex frowns slightly. “Oh...I’m not hungry. Maybe I’ll eat something later.”

“If you say so.”

Nia shrugs, but there’s a hint of concern in her voice. She separates from the tree and the two of them begin the walk back to Corinne’s house.

“So...when?” Rex begins.

“What?”

“When did you become so poetic? You sounded a lot like Zeke back there.”

The healer scoffs. “What do you mean I sounded like Shellhead?”

“‘Treasure the gift of life that Pyra and Mythra gave us’.”

“Oh...that.” She shrugs again. “I dunno. It just felt like the right thing to say.”

“Hmm…okay.”

“Are you sure you’re gonna be alright?”

The salvager stops in his tracks. “I...think so,” he exhales. “It’s just—it all happened so fast…”

The Gormotti places a hand on his shoulder. “We understand. We’ll be with you all the way.”

“Right…”

The two continue walking, saying nothing the rest of the way until they make it to the doorstep of Rex’s childhood home.

“You should let me in first,” Nia suggests. “They’ll never leave you alone otherwise. That’s how worried everyone was.” She caps a hand on his shoulder. “Just let me do the talking; I’ll make sure you get some time to yourself. They can bombard you with hugs and whatever tomorrow.”

Rex waves his hands dismissively. “Um, that’s okay actually. Thank you though.”

“Okay then.”

With that, the Flesh Eater slowly turns the knob and opens the door. Rex follows her inside to see that the party immediately drops what they were doing mere seconds ago to shift their attention towards him upon his entry. He notices that the only one who doesn’t look extremely apprehensive is Auntie Corinne, who only wears a face of understanding. Nia turns to him briefly to give him a look that says “I told you so” and he suddenly feels a pang of guilt for causing everyone to be so uneasy. He switches his gaze to the floor to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

Mòrag stands up first, who is joined by Brighid seconds later. Zeke, Pandoria, and everyone else is quick to follow. The brunette knows all eyes are on him, so he forces himself to face them.

“Hey—everyone. I’m...sorry for worrying you.”

Brighid nods. “Don’t worry about it, Rex. We understand.”

“Uh...thanks.”

Corinne kindly puts a hand on Rex’s shoulder. The boy remains still for a moment, then turns around and hugs her tightly, like his life depends on it. No one moves for the next minute; they stand there silently, not sure what they should do next.

Fortunately, Poppi leads the way by following Corinne’s example and wrapping her arms around the young salvager. Tora is next to join in on the embrace, and soon enough the entire party has Rex enveloped in a Titan-sized group hug. In the midst of it all, the young teen can’t help but smile; no matter what happens, he still has people he can rely on, and this time it’s no different.

After a minute, his friends finally pull away. Tora is the first to break the heavy silence.

“Meh...will Rex-Rex be okay now?”

“Poppi is very sorry for Rex’s loss. Poppi hopes Rex will feel better soon.”

The boy in question only nods in response.

“Just hang in there, chum,” Zeke adds while giving him a pat on the back. “It’s never easy losing someone you love, but I know you have the strength to pull through.”

“He’s right,” Pandoria interjects.

Mòrag places a firm hand on Rex’s shoulder. She doesn’t say anything, but Rex understands her sympathy in the warm smile she gives him.

Brighid inches closer to her Driver, interlocking their arms. “I imagine you will need some time to think to yourself, but we will be here if you need us.”

The brunette nods again. “Thanks, everyone. It really means a lot.” He turns to his guardian. “Auntie Corinne, do you have a moment? There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Of course, dear.”

The Leftherians make their way outside to talk alone, leaving the rest of the party with a moment to themselves.

Dromarch speaks up after staying quiet for the majority of the previous conversation. “Hmm...Master Rex implied that he will be alright, but his disposition remained wistful. What are your thoughts, my lady?”

Nia’s ears twitch and she fidgets with the ribbons in her hair anxiously. “Rex was pretty upset when I found him… I know that it’s gonna be rough for a while, even with that optimism of his. I mean—it’s _Pyra_. We all know how much he loved her.” She sighs heavily. “I don’t think he’ll be depressed forever, but if we give him some space, I’m sure he’ll be back to his old self soon.”

“Meh-meh...Tora not like seeing Rex-Rex so gloomy...” Tora comments.

“I can only imagine the pain he must be feeling.” Brighid adds.

Pandoria fidgets nervously. “Yeah...we were all good friends of Pyra, but Rex was her Driver. And considering how he felt about her, he must be heartbroken.”

“What did he tell you?” Zeke prods the Flesh Eater.

“...I don’t think he’d want me to say, Shellhead. Whatever he decides to talk about is up to him.”

The prince of Tantal frowns; it isn’t what he wanted to hear, but he accepts the answer he’s given.

“Nia is right,” Mòrag adds. “For now, we should allow him some time to grieve. But it’s getting late, and I’m sure we’re all quite exhausted, considering the day’s events. It would be wise to get some sleep.”

“I concur,” agrees Dromarch. “Not to mention, we all need time to do some healing ourselves. The wounds from our last battle were not mere scratches.”

“Poppi agrees. Now is good time to rest and clear heads.”

Thankfully, they didn’t have to spend any money at an inn, as Corinne had already arranged places for them to sleep not long after their arrival in Fonsett. They separate into two rooms, each being shared by those of the same gender.

As Nia makes herself comfortable, she thinks about Rex. She knew that losing Pyra and Mythra would hit him hard, but she never anticipated how hard. Reflecting back, he’s been through a lot in his life. It was never obvious with how he carried himself, how he faced the world with a brave face, but underneath all of that, even optimistic Rex had issues he was dealing with.

But despite everything, he smiled, even when he was hurting on the inside.

And when it came to the challenges he faced, he took them head on, regardless of any circumstances.

In short, he wasn’t afraid of failure. He was confident. Never backing out, never giving up. If Nia was being honest with herself, she was envious of this part of him. At the same time, however, she admired it. This was the side of Rex that taught her not to live in fear and uncertainty. For years she ran from her past, wishing she could just forget who she was, but after traveling with Rex and the others, she learned to let go of her fear. She opened up about her past and revealed what—no, _who_ she really was, and the way her friends felt about her never changed. At the time, it was all she could ever hope for.

But things are different now. The thing that made Nia fall in love with Rex has all but vanished along with the Aegis, and neither of them know what to do. Nia knows she has to do _something_ , but she isn’t sure what exactly.

The Gormotti rolls over, staring out the window. It doesn’t matter; she’ll find a way to help Rex, regardless of what it is or how long it’s going to take.

They’re friends, after all. And what kind of friend would she be if she didn’t look out for him?

This last thought lingers in her mind before her body is consumed by the need to sleep and she slips out of consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the whole "gift of life" thing will be the first of many references  
> not too many, though
> 
> I've never actually lost anyone, so apologies if I get Rex's grief completely wrong. Feel free to correct me in the comments :V


	2. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's wrong with him? It seems like everyone but him has managed to find a way to cope with Pyra's death. Why can't he just be happy? They've found Elysium; isn't that something worth celebrating?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhh sadness
> 
> Rex goes to Hot Topic and starts dressing like an emo

Corinne knows her adoptive nephew like the back of her hand. It's easy to tell if something is off about him, having raised him as though he were her own son for a little over thirteen years. It isn’t too unusual for Rex to sleep in on some days; under normal circumstances, she would never question him if he was late for breakfast one morning.

_Under normal circumstances._

The rebirth of Alrest (or simply Rebirth, as some of the villagers are calling it), was five days ago. Everyone has been adjusting quite nicely, but Rex is still struggling with the loss of his Blade. As the caretaker makes herself busy cooking breakfast, she notices that the boy seems to be sleeping in a lot later than expected. Before he set off to become a salvager, he used to be the one waking _her_ up, instead of the other way around.

Corinne sighs as she recalls how Rex used to be when he was younger. He had always been a cheerful, hard-working kid; he’d greet the day with the brightest smile, before diving straight into his chores without even being asked. The boy had enthusiasm so contagious that Corrine couldn’t help but get caught up in it herself.

But now, Corinne feels like her nephew has become a completely different person, and it’s not just because he’s grown and matured in the five years that he’s been a salvager. He seems...empty. Like his whole life has been drained of its purpose. She doesn’t know how to approach him, or if she should approach him at all. He’s changed so much in the last five years that Azurda would know more about how to handle this than she does.

She makes a mental note to talk with the Titan about this later. She can’t help but feel like she’s powerless; perhaps Azurda will know what to do for Rex.

Despite her best efforts, Corinne finds it impossible to take Rex’s confession from five days ago off her mind. It bears such a heavy weight that it’s hard to ignore. Even now, it’s all she can think about.

* * *

  _Rex doesn’t lead her very far from the house, just to the round coffee table outside. They each take a seat, and the brunette remains quiet for a minute or two before finally breaking the silence that falls between them like heavy rain._

_“Corinne, I… I messed up,” Rex begins. He doesn’t meet her gaze, instead focusing his eyes on the ground in front of him while anxiously fidgeting with the Core Crystal that he continues to hold on to for a sense of mild security._

_She doesn’t say anything, patiently waiting for him to continue._

_“I never told you properly about me and her. The reason we met, I mean. It’s because...well...”_

_The salvager takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what he has to say next._

_“...I died.”_

_There’s a long minute of silence while Rex lets this fact sink in. He knew he would have to tell his aunt about him and Pyra sooner or later, but he didn’t think it would be so hard._

_“Rex, you… How?” is all Corinne can manage._

_The teen sighs and turns his attention toward the canvas of stars above. “It’s sort of a long story, but… You deserve to know.”_

_And so, Rex begins retelling the chronicle of how he met his Blade and the kind of special connection he had with her as far as sharing a life force went. He starts with the mysterious job from Bana and how he worked for Torna briefly before realizing Jin and Malos’s true intentions regarding the Aegis when he became her Driver. Whenever he mentions Pyra, his voice softens, and it’s clear that he harbored some kind of non-platonic feelings for her by the way he talks about her. Corinne listens to every word, not once choosing to interrupt or ask questions, although this_ does _explain the tremendous amount of money that he sent home that day. But right now, that hardly matters._

 _When her nephew finally finishes, he makes his way to her side of the table and takes the older woman’s hand to place it on his chest. The first thing Corinne makes note of is his rapid heartbeat, and then the scar where his Core Crystal used to be. She had no_ idea _that thing was keeping him alive, that it was the only obstacle between his life and death, and the realization of this makes his story all the more real._

_The brunette finally returns to his seat opposite of her. “There’s something I’ve never told anyone,” he begins. “Pneuma—no, Pyra. I… I loved her. M-More than words could begin to describe. But…” His voice cracks, and he looks on the verge of tears._

_“Rex,” Corinne starts, already aware of the reason why he’s so upset all of a sudden. “You didn’t—”_

_“—tell her.” he finishes. “No, I didn’t. I’m so..._ stupid _. I took the time we had together for granted. And now...now she’ll never know.”_

_A tear slides down the side of Rex’s face._

_“I don’t regret ever meeting her or getting caught up in all this, even if it was tough at times. But I regret never telling her more than anything. I regret it so much…”_

* * *

 Corinne is interrupted from her thoughts by the whistling of the kettle on the stove. She removes it to prepare some homemade tea to go along with breakfast and sets the table. When she’s finished, the caretaker pours herself a cup of tea and waits for her guests to make their way downstairs to eat. As if on cue, small, rapid footfalls are heard moving down the steps, followed by another, more thunderous set bounding after.

Seconds later, she’s greeted by the flamboyant duo known as Zeke and Pandoria.

“Good morning!” sings the Blade.

The self-proclaimed Bringer of Chaos stretches dramatically. “Breakfast ready yet?”

“Just finished making it,” the Leftherian answers. “Would the two of you mind informing the others?”

“Not a problem, O humble hostess. You can count on the Zekenator!”

With that, the Driver and Blade bow in unison—earning a chuckle from the older woman—before heading back upstairs to deliver the message.

After Zeke and Pandoria return, the first to descend the stairs is Nia, who is quickly followed by Poppi and a half-asleep Tora. Soon after they are joined by Brighid and Mòrag, and Dromarch seconds later.

And just as Corinne expected, Rex is the last to arrive at the table, sluggishly dragging his feet. It’s obvious that he hardly slept the previous night, judging by his disheveled hair and his half-lidded eyes. She gives her adoptive nephew a look that asks “How are you holding up?” but the teen only shakes his head in response.

Rex understands that could mean a number of things, but he’s really not in the mood to strike up a conversation, especially about his Blade. Honestly, he’d rather eat breakfast alone, or not at all preferably, but he knows nothing good will come out of arguing with his guardian.

He throws himself in a randomly selected seat, which happens to be right next to Nia.

“Morning,” he mumbles apathetically, doing his best to sound enthusiastic, but failing greatly. The Gormotti casts him a glance and notices that he somehow manages to look worse than he did a few days ago; he looks like he hasn’t slept at all since arriving in Elysium, and his eyes are slightly red.

The brunette doesn’t pay her any mind as he drops a plain piece of toast in front of him, but doesn’t eat. Using the same tone as before, he asks how everyone is doing, to which they give him varied but positive responses. He nods and flashes his best fake smile.

The meal carries on, and Rex chooses not to participate in further conversation, while only half-heartedly pecking at his pathetic toast. Mòrag catches this from across the table, but says nothing. Next to him, Nia’s ears are twitching feverishly in apprehension, but she too keeps to herself. Everyone at the table is aware of the suffocating tension hanging in the air, but none of them comment on it, instead opting to simply eat in silence.

However, the young salvager is oblivious to these actions, deep in thought. He knows that he has to get his mind off the thought of Pyr— _her_ , somehow, but he feels worse every day. He hates himself for his inability to move on— _everyone else is adjusting just fine, so why can’t he?—_ and he hates himself even more for never being honest about his deep affection for the Aegis.

Rex is suddenly jolted back into reality by someone shaking his shoulder and calling his name.

“—ex? Rex, you in there?” It’s Nia. Everyone has turned their attention to him; had he spaced out or something?

The healer’s ears twitch again in concern as she removes her hand from his shoulder. “You alright?” she asks, but immediately regrets it. Of _course_ he isn’t alright, the bags under his eyes make that clear.

The brunette glares at her for a split second. “I’m _fine_ ,” he quips, causing her to flinch. Still half-asleep, the words don’t register in his head until a moment later when everyone stops to look in his direction, and he quickly wishes he could take them back. His expression shifts from defensive to apologetic, and then back to empty.

The teen sighs. “Sorry. I’m just...tired.” He stands and shuffles over to the door, throwing on an old pair of sandals. “I’m gonna take a walk. I’ll be back later.”

With that, Rex leaves, shutting the door a little harder than he probably should have. He leans against it momentarily with a sigh before leaving the doorstep. He doesn’t have any particular destination in mind; he allows himself to wander aimlessly around the village.

After taking a few minutes to clear his head, the salvager reaches into his pocket and procures his most prized possession—the Aegis’s Core Crystal. He takes a deep breath.

“Hey—Pyra. Mythra. I’m… I’m really sorry. I promised I’d take you to Elysium. We put _everything_ we had into reaching that goal. But now that we’re finally here… I wonder if it was even worth it.”

He finds himself at the top of a cliff, the same one where he and the rest of the kids learned to swim in the Cloud Sea. He remembers how terrified he was at first. But when he finally made the jump, the sensation was exhilarating. It taught him to jump into whatever adventures may come his way, no matter how dangerous or difficult they may seem. It’s part of what inspired him to become a salvager.

Rex takes a seat on the tip of the precipice, allowing his feet to dangle over the edge. He exhales before continuing.

“I feel...lost. I don’t know where to go from here. I said I would take you Elysium, but in the end...I couldn’t. All I could do was stand there and watch you sacrifice yourself, and I… I was powerless to do anything.”

He stops and sighs, gazing out over the Cloud Sea.

“I… I’m sorry. I couldn’t keep my promise.”

The young teen tries his best to hold back the tears that threaten to escape his golden brown eyes. He can’t cry again, _not now_ , not when he’s supposed to be getting _better_.

His grip on the Core tightens; he hardly got a chance to say anything even close to a goodbye. He wants to say it’s unfair, but he knows why Pyra had to leave them. He just wishes there could have been another way.

“Who ya talkin’ to, Rex?”

The brunette comes painfully close to falling off the ledge and dropping the Crystal in shock as his solitary moment of reminiscence is shattered.

He turns around. “Kazuna? What are you doing here?”

His adoptive sister takes a seat next to him. “Nothing that important,” she answers with a shrug. “I was looking for a place to work on my studies, but then I heard you talking with someone. So, who is it, anyway? Imaginary friend?”

“Uh…” Rex debates how much he can tell her about the situation. He doesn’t want to burden this little girl with his problems, but what choice does he have? Kazuna overheard him talking to his Blade (or what’s left of her anyway); there really isn’t anything he can do to cover that up.

He sighs. “S-something like that, I guess.” He leans back and looks up at the sky.

Kazuna pokes the Core Crystal in the teen’s hand. “What’s that? A good luck charm?”

“What? Oh, n-no. It’s… Do you remember that girl with the red hair who was traveling with me?”

“You mean your girlfriend?”

“No—well, yes. I mean—she was never my girlfriend. But yeah, her. She was my Blade. And this,” He gestures to the Emerald. “was her Core Crystal.”

“Okay. So where is she now?”

 _Why does she have to be so innocent?_ Rex struggles to figure out how in Alrest he’s supposed to break it to young Leftherian that Pyra won’t ever get to see Elysium. He averts his gaze for a second to gather his thoughts. “Pyra is, well...she’s no longer here.”

The younger of the two gasps. “What?”

“Y-yeah. She…” Rex pauses, choosing his next words carefully. “She couldn’t come back with us. She had to stay behind to make sure everyone was safe.”

“...Are we ever gonna see her again?”

The brunette sighs. “Believe me, I wish we could.”

Kazuna tilts her head. “Why can’t we?”

Rex hesitates before speaking again. It’s hard enough dealing with the truth himself; telling someone else isn’t easy. At this point, he has no choice but to be completely honest.

“Kazuna… Pyra’s not coming back.”

It’s this that finally causes the girl to understand. There’s a beat of silence before she finds her voice again.

“...I’m really sorry, Rex.”

The salvager shakes his head. “Don’t be. There’s nothing I could have done anyway.”

A blanket of silence settles between them. Rex hugs his knees to his chest as he continues to think. He steals a glance at the girl next to him; she hasn’t touched any of her textbooks. Isn’t she supposed to be studying right now? He almost considers offering to help her—he remembers how hard school was when he was her age—but is pulled from his thoughts when Kazuna finally speaks up again.

“...Did you love her?”

“What?”

“I mean, I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at her. Surely you two were in love, right?” His sister inches closer to him and nudges his arm with her elbow.

The brunette blushes. “W-well, I mean… Wait, hold on a second! How come you’re suddenly so interested in my love life?”

“What d’ya mean?”

“Well I—ugh...nevermind. It doesn’t matter. But to answer your question… Yes. I did.”

The eyes of the Leftherian girl light up and she grins impishly.

Rex frowns. “You don’t understand, Kazuna. Our relationship never went past that.”

At this, the younger Leftherian blinks with a curious expression, but she allows Rex to continue.

“But even still, I’ve never met anyone with as warm a heart as her. She was mesmerizing. Beautiful, kind, loyal… I loved her with everything I had.”

At this point, the young teen has no idea why he’s pouring his heart out to a girl who’s probably too young to understand what love really means, but he finds talking to her strangely comforting. Even as he remembers Pyra, he’s smiling despite himself.

“She sounds really amazing, Rex.”

“Yeah. She was.”

“It’s too bad you two never got married.”

“M-married?!”

_Note to self: never tell a ten year old about your love life; you’ll surely regret it._

“W-we were never together to begin with,” the salvager explains with red cheeks. “I was just in love with her. Th-that’s it.”

“Whatever you say, big bro.”

He groans; this is not how he expected his morning to play out, but he can’t say he’s disappointed, although more than slightly flustered.

Rex stands. “Well anyway, sorry for keeping you from working on your studies. I should get going.”

“Okay, Rex.”

The teen puts a hand on Kazuna’s shoulder. “Um...thanks. For talking with me.”

The girl nods in response. “Tell Auntie Corinne I said hi when you see her.”

“I will.”

With a small wave, the brunette continues on his walk, Core Crystal still in hand. A thought crosses his mind as he looks up at the cloudy sky. Ever since losing Pyra and Mythra, it’s like his life has suddenly been sapped of its appeal. He can no longer see color; that faded from his vision a while ago. It feels like his world has turned dark and is now dull, like an old and overused sword.

It’s almost funny how the blanket of grey above him seems to reflect his current mood. If he weren't so miserable, he would probably laugh, as terrible as it sounds.

The graveyard is up ahead. The boy isn’t sure if he intended to come here, or if his steps subconsciously led him to this place, having visited it countless times before. As he approaches the graves of his parents, his chest tightens, like it hurts to be reminded that now he’s lost more than just them. He kneels in front of the two headstones and gently places the emerald down on the soft dirt.

“Hey—Mum, Dad… A lot’s happened since we last spoke.”

He pauses, as if giving them a chance to respond.

“But I… I’ve got a favor to ask of you.”

He takes the Core in his hand and brushes his thumb against it.

“Please… Could you watch out for her? And pass on a message from me, if you see her.”

The salvager falls silent briefly, contemplating his words.

“Tell her...that I’m sorry. I couldn’t be the Driver she needed. I couldn’t bring her to Elysium. And… I couldn’t tell her how much...I love her.”

He’s tried to suppress it before, but now he doesn’t care. The uncontrollable tears that fall down his face feel hot on his skin against the cool air around him. They’re scorching, burning holes into his facade of emotional stability, and he feels like his very being is getting torn apart, piece by piece. He stiffens his hold on the Crystal and hugs his sides in an attempt to comfort himself. What’s _wrong_ with him? It seems like everyone but him has managed to find a way to cope with Pyra’s death. Why can’t he just be happy? They’ve found Elysium; isn’t that something worth celebrating?

Rex takes a deep breath. This isn’t the time or the place to be beating himself up; he can hate himself all he wants when he’s alone in his room. He’s exhausted anyway, and it’s time he should be getting back to the house. The salvager stands and pockets the Aegis’s Core Crystal, but doesn’t begin the walk home. In all honesty, he really doesn’t have the energy to tread all the way back, so maybe he’ll just take a short nap under a nearby tree; he’ll return when he’s feeling more rejuvenated.

With that in mind, the brunette picks a comfortable spot under the closest tree and leans against its trunk, drifting off to sleep not long after.

By the time Rex wakes up, the first thing he notices is that the sky is no longer shrouded in clouds, and the sun is beginning to set. _Architect, how long had he been asleep?_ The teen scrambles to his feet, only to nearly fall over due to dizziness.

Okay, maybe he shouldn’t be walking anytime soon, much less sprint back to Corinne’s house. As he sits down with his back against the tree, the next thing to occur to him is the dream he had. He doesn’t remember specific details (like what anyone said), but the concept of the dream itself seems simple.

He and his friends—including Pyra and Mythra, although their bodies were separate—were all seated around a campfire, most likely courtesy of Pyra. He vaguely recalls seeing some kind of playful banter between Zeke and Mythra, which resulted in the latter tossing a handful of marshmallows at the Tantalese prince. She missed however, and hit Tora instead, who retaliated by challenging the blonde to a swordfight with skewers. Somehow this prompted everyone else to join in on the now skewer free-for-all, and soon enough they were all laughing like fools.

Rex smiles. This is the group who he’s proud to call friends. They did almost everything together, and when they were all gathered like they were in his dream, they always had a good time.

A thought suddenly dawns on the young teen. Everything that he and his friends have done on their adventure, they did together. As a _team_. So why is he suddenly isolating himself? Why is he acting like he was the only one who cared about Pyra? She was important to each and every one of them; it’s hardly fair if he keeps her Core to himself. She’s not just his to grieve over, Driver or not.

The brunette sighs. He’s been selfish over the last few days, so he needs to make up for it. He shouldn’t be the only one who’s able to speak to Pyra and Mythra.

He turns his gaze to his parents’ graves, over to his right.

A grave. She should have a grave. A place where people could come visit and talk to her, whenever they wanted.

“Rex?”

“Ah!” The brunette jumps in surprise. That’s the second time someone has interrupted him from his thoughts today.

“Nia… Don’t scare me like that.”

“Sorry.” The Gormotti approaches him. “Were you here all day? You were starting to worry us.”

Rex rubs the back of his neck and chuckles in response. “Sort of. I fell asleep earlier.”

“Ah, makes sense. You seemed pretty tired this morning.”

“Yeah…”

The Flesh Eater’s ears twitch. “Are you—er, I mean...dinner’s ready. You hungry?”

The salvager stands and dusts himself off. “Yeah, I guess. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten anything.”

Nia chuckles. “Well, Corinne cooked up a feast, so I’d hope you’re hungry.”

Rex laughs awkwardly. “Well, I’m not like, _starving_ or anything.”

“Still, it’s good to hear. Come on, we’re all waiting on you to start dinner.”

With that, Nia begins to make her way towards the steps, but pauses when she notices Rex isn't following. He stares at his feet nervously for a few seconds before looking up at her.

“Uh… I’m sorry about earlier. I...shouldn’t have said what I said. I wasn’t really thinking.”

At this, Nia smiles warmly in understanding. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

With that said, the two of them begin the walk back to Corinne’s house.

“So...is this your job now?” The teen asks.

“Huh?”

“To come and fetch me for stuff. Sorry if it’s a little out of your way...”

The healer laughs. “No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” Honestly, she likes being able to spend more time with him, even if he’ll never really understand her true feelings.

_Not the time or the place. Get over yourself._

“Oh, okay.” Rex takes one last sidelong glance at the graves behind him.

“Hey, Nia?”

“Yeah?”

“...There’s something I’d like to discuss with everyone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> low-key I love making Rex interact with minor characters, the convo with Kazuna was pretty cute imo
> 
> So I have this little headcanon that Rex has a scar from where Jin had stabbed him, but it was covered by his half of Pyra's Core Crystal. My friend Tbat argues that by reviving Rex, Pyra would have healed the wound and therefore preventing a scar, but shhhh let me have my hcs


	3. Her Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of a day that ended too quickly, a day that was taken for granted. A day that was wasted doing foolish things, and now it's gone forever.
> 
> Just like Pyra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big thanks to my editor Alastair and my proofreader Tbat for helping me with this mess of a fic  
> I'd be lost without y'all uwu

Rex was never a fan of black; the shade always seemed offputting to him. He doesn’t particularly enjoy wearing it, especially because it can be a representation of death and evil. However, it’s also a symbol of grief and mourning—as Auntie Corinne had taught him—so he understands well enough why it’s typically worn to funerals. Some people (such as Zeke) can wear it just fine, but for someone like him, it just feels...wrong.

The salvager turns to study his reflection. His hair is a mess, and he has no idea if the suit he’s currently wearing even fits properly. He runs a hand through his hair and sucks in a breath anxiously. Now really isn’t the time to be contemplating his meaningless sentiment towards a stupid shade; he has more important things to worry about today, and mentally complaining to himself isn’t going to help the headache that he woke up with. When he suggested a grave be made for Pyra and Mythra a week ago, Corinne and his friends were all set on the idea and made arrangements for everyone to give a short eulogy for the Aegis. Rex didn’t actually prepare anything in advance; he figured that when the time came, he would know what he wanted to say about her. The brunette doesn’t plan things often unless he’s salvaging; he likes to do things in the spur of the moment.

A knock comes at his door, pulling him from his thoughts. “We’re almost ready to leave, Rex. We’re waiting on you.” Judging by the telltale accent, it’s Mòrag. Rex gives himself one last onceover before replying.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Upon opening the door, he finds that she hasn’t left. The Ardanian gives him a look similar to that of a concerned older sibling, then she hands him a Pipestraw Smoothie with a thoughtful expression. “This is for you.”

Rex eyes the drink tentatively. “Oh—that’s alright. I’m not really in the mood.” He attempts to make his way past her but is stopped by her strong hand on his shoulder. He turns to face the taller woman. “Um…”

“I mean it, Rex. Did you really think we wouldn’t notice that you’ve eaten almost nothing in the last few days?”

The teen crosses his arms and avoids eye contact. “I...wasn’t hungry. So what?”

“I’d rather you not starve. Take it.”

Rex almost tries to refuse, but his stomach growls (almost as if to prove Mòrag’s point), reminding him that _Architect, she’s right, he really is starving_. He  sighs and accepts the Special Inquisitor’s request, although it seems more like an order than a simple entreaty.

The Flamebringer smiles. Satisfied, she pats him on the shoulder fondly before heading downstairs, leaving him to himself once again. The brunette glances at a nearby clock; Pyra and Mythra’s funeral will be taking place soon, so they’d better get going. Despite lacking a normal appetite as of late, he takes a sip of his smoothie—for Mòrag’s sake—and descends the stairs himself to meet up with the others.

The salvager supposes he shouldn’t be surprised to see Nia in a dress, but it still largely deviates from her usual style. He knits his eyebrows as he takes in her appearance.

“Oi, I don’t look _that_ bad, do I?”

Rex is quick shake his head in denial. “N-no, it’s just...different. Sorry.”

“I’d have gone with ‘shocking’,” Zeke chimes in.

“Shut it, Shellhead.”

Rex silently takes another half-hearted sip of his smoothie, which Nia takes note of.

“Feeling more like yourself?”

“Huh?”

“Seems like you lost your appetite a few days ago. Haven’t eaten much since then.”

“Oh...you noticed that too?”

“Kinda hard not to when we eat at the same table.”

She has a good point. Before the young teen can come up with a response, however, the door opens and Tora enters with Poppi seconds later.

“Hello, friends!”

Brighid crosses her arms. “You’re late, Tora. What took you so long?”

“Tora very sorry. Lila wanted to help in finding nice outfit for Poppi, so stayed in Torigoth longer than necessary.”

The Blade smiles. “Well, she looks rather lovely. We’ll let it slide.”

Mòrag scans the room to make sure everyone is present. “Do you all have your eulogies prepared?”

Mixed responses of confirmation are heard throughout.

“Rex?”

The boy nods. “Yeah, I’ve got a pretty good idea of what I want to say.”

“You didn’t write it?”

“It wouldn’t be from the heart if I did that. I think it’s important that whatever I say is truly genuine.”

“Hm. You never cease to surprise me. Alright everyone, we should be on our way; we wouldn’t want to keep the villagers waiting.”

With that, everyone begins to take their leave, but Mòrag is stopped by Rex taking hold of her arm.

“Um, Mòrag?”

“Yes?”

Rex turns the drink in his hand, avoiding looking up at her. “Did you, erm...pay for this?”

“Of course. Is that a problem?”

“No, I just… Let me pay you back.”

The Flamebringer shakes her head. “That won’t be necessary, Rex.”

“But—”

“We’re going to be late if we wait any longer. Let’s go.”

The teen knows that by this point it’s not worth arguing. He sighs and follows the Special Inquisitor out the door, deciding to leave the Pipestraw Smoothie behind with a silent promise of finishing it later; if he tries to eat anything more he’s certain he’ll throw up.

The walk to the graveyard is dull and uncomfortably quiet. The dense silence in the air is suffocating, and Rex is beginning to feel like he’s going to be sick, but he swallows the nausea and tries his best to ignore the pounding headache and lightheadedness that’s been tormenting him since this morning. No one says anything; the only sound is the soft footsteps of the party as they stride stiffly to their destination.

It was arranged that the funeral for the Aegis take place at dusk, as it was the same time that the Titans fused with main land, and the same time that she left the world after fulfilling her purpose. The timing seems fitting, but Rex feels like he can’t look at a sunset without thinking of her. To him it has a whole new meaning now. It’s the end of a day that ended too quickly, a day that was taken for granted. A day that was wasted doing foolish things, and now it’s gone forever.

Just like Pyra.

 _Stop that_ , he tells himself. _You have to move on, already. It’s time you start thinking about what you’re going to do with your life._

And yet...he can’t.

_Do it for her, Rex! What would she say if she were here right now?_

He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know anything anymore.

_You’re pathetic. You can’t even accept it._

He can’t make it stop. The world around him is spinning out of control and there’s nothing he can do to slow it down. He can’t breathe, he’s paralyzed. Rex tries to call for help, but it’s like his voice has been ripped out of his throat.

He feels like he’s falling and trapped at the same time. His feet refuse to move, and he falls to his knees. His lungs are closing up with every passing second, and if he doesn’t regain control soon, then—

“Rex!”

Everything goes quiet. Seconds later he’s brought back into reality. He’s shaking uncontrollably. He can breathe again, but it’s heavy, like he just got revived after almost drowning. The salvager’s heartbeat is loud in his ears, and his head is throbbing in pain. He doesn’t know if he can speak, he’s not even sure what just happened. The brunette holds his head in his hands to try and stop all the chaos around him.

“Rex?”

It’s that voice again. _Who is it?_ Everything sounds the same right now.

“Rex, can you hear me?”

It’s Nia.

Right, it’s Nia. She’s here; he’s not alone. Rex musters whatever strength he has to give a faint nod.

He hears the Gormotti breathe a sigh of relief. “Okay, that’s good.” She gingerly takes his hands in hers in a comforting gesture. “You’re gonna be okay. Just breathe, alright?” She has no idea what happened just now, and yet she’s handling the situation like a pro. Maybe he should talk with her more often; as far as his grief goes, she seems to be doing a great job at helping him get over it so far.

“Can you walk?” Nia asks. Apparently he dropped to his knees at some point during his internal panic. He nods again.

“Y-yeah. I...think so,” the teen replies between shaky breaths. “Sorry...for making us late.”

“Don’t worry about it, Rex.” Brighid assists Nia in helping him to his feet. “Your well being is more important right now.”

“...Thanks.”

The group continues. By the time they arrive, the sun has already begun to set. Rex takes note of Corinne and Azurda’s presence as each party member stands next to their respective Blades in a line surrounding Pyra and Mythra’s grave. Embedded into it is their Core Crystal; surrounding the Emerald are small, intricate floral designs, and engraved below it are the words, “ _In loving memory of the Aegis. A heroine to which we owe our lives_.” The headstone itself was commissioned by Rex, who fretted over every detail, but in the end, it was finished in time for today, and it looks just as worthy of the Aegis as Rex insisted it should be.

Mòrag is the first to speak. She’ll be followed by Zeke, Tora, Nia, and eventually Rex. The team decided it would make the most sense to end the ceremony with the ones who were closest to the Aegis. Each Blade will give a small

comment following their Driver’s words, so as not to make the funeral longer than need be.

Mor Ardain’s Special Inquisitor starts with a formal greeting before expressing that even though her experiences with Pyra were short, she’ll treasure the memories she has of her. Zeke reminisces about how fun and exciting it was to be around the Blade. Tora mentions how strong a fighter she was, and it seems like this series of eulogies has gone by a lot faster than he anticipated, because after Nia it’ll be his turn and he still has no idea what to say. He had a few mental notes earlier, but everything he wanted to talk about has already been addressed so far.

He brings his attention back to the current moment. Nia looks like she’s close to finishing, so he’d better think of something soon. Something only the Driver of the Aegis would be able to say. Something about his Blade that separated his relationship with her from everyone else’s.

An idea sparks in his head. Rex looks over at Nia as he builds the basic form of his tribute.

“...and she was one of the greatest friends I’ve had in years,” the Gormotti concludes, followed by Dromarch’s additional thought.

 _I hope you’re listening, Pyra,_ he thinks, taking Nia’s place. _This is for you._ He takes a deep breath before beginning.

“When I first met Pyra, I made a promise: to take her to Elysium. Many people tried to oppose us, and we met a lot of obstacles along the way... But in the end, we reached our ultimate goal: to save a dying world and all those living in it.”

Rex takes a moment to consider his next words. He doesn’t want to tell them _too_ much; he might end up breaking down again if he pours his heart out to everyone.

He takes a breath. “Pyra was more than just a Blade; she was everything to me. She made me feel...complete. She gave me a sense of power that I never knew I could possess. She was brave, and loyal, and she had the biggest heart…”

The brunette pauses to choke back tears again. He promised himself he wouldn’t cry today, and he knows Pyra and Mythra wouldn’t want to see him like this.

Rex continues. “A friend once told me that we should treasure the gift of life that she gave us. She may not be here anymore, but her sacrifice is what allowed all of us to keep on living. So...the least we can do to repay her is to fulfill her final wish. A wish...that lives on through me. Pyra gave her life to save this world… So we have to make the most of it.”

Nia’s ears perk up at Rex’s words. She’d almost forgotten that she said that to him. It’s strange to hear him relay the very same words that she taught him just a couple weeks ago, but that only makes it feel so much better.

And just like that, the ceremony is over. The reception that follows afterward is a blur for Nia. It seems as though Pyra’s memorial had ended as soon as it begun. Really, the entire day had gone by rather quickly. It’s funny how time seemingly vanishes when one sets their focus on something.

The sun had gone down a while ago. To compensate, lamps had been set up around the graveyard. Various types of flowers had been placed around the grave by some of the villagers, who made sure to give the party their condolences. Most of them have left by now; the only ones who remain are those who seem particularly close to Rex.

And speaking of which, it’s time she let him know they should get back to the house for dinner. Zeke and Mòrag will be going home tomorrow, as they have important matters to discuss with their respective nations, so the group decided to have a big dinner together so they can simply talk and have a good time before that happens.

She makes her way to the other side of the graveyard to inform the salvager, lightly tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Hey,” she greets.

Rex turns around. “Hey...what’s up?”

“You ready to head back for dinner?”

“Yeah.” The boy nods. “You go on ahead though. I’ll catch up in a bit. There’s something I want to discuss with Gramps before I head back.”

“Been hanging back a lot lately, huh?”

“Well…”

The Gormotti pats him on the shoulder. “I’m only joking. Don’t take too long, alright?”

“Of course.”

The two part ways. Nia waves to the rest of the group and makes a “come on” gesture to indicate that it’s time to leave. When they catch up to her, she informs them quickly that Rex will be joining them in a few minutes before leading the way back to Corinne’s house.

When Rex approaches Azurda, it seems like the Titan already knows why he’s there. He’s greeted with a knowing look, followed by a benevolent smile.

“I assume you’re here to talk about Pyra,” he begins.

The salvager isn’t surprised that his guardian doesn’t have to ask to understand the situation. He leans against a nearby tree.

“I...don’t know what to do. When Pyra was alive, I had a reason to fight. But now… Now I’m not even sure what my purpose is anymore.”

The village protector is silent for a minute, then he lets out a soft chuckle.

The young teen scoffs and crosses his arms. “What’s so funny?”

“I believe you answered your own question, my boy.”

“What do you mean, Gramps?”

“You said it yourself. We should honor Pyra’s final wish by cherishing the gift of life that she gave us. That is how you feel, is it not?”

Rex rubs the back of his neck in confusion. “I… I said that? I wasn’t really thinking. I guess Nia was right…”

“Nia?”

“It’s nothing,” the brunette waves his hand dismissively. “I know what I have to do now.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna do everything in my power to keep this place safe. Pyra gave her life to save us, so the least I can do is carry out her will.”

The elder hums. “It is good to see you acting like your old self, Rex.”

Rex nods. “Thanks, Gramps...for helping me.”

The Titan bows his head humbly. “You know you can talk with me anytime.”

“Yeah.”

They’re interrupted from their conversation by Corinne, calling her nephew back to the house. “I’ll be right there,” he calls back. The boy gives Azurda a wave as he starts to make his way towards his aunt. “I’ll see ya later, Gramps. Good night.”

“Good night, Rex.”

He takes his leave, meeting the older woman halfway. “Hey, Auntie. What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Quite a lot,” she answers. “There’s plenty to choose from. Go ahead and help yourself, I’m going to have a word with Azurda for a moment.”

“Alright, sounds great.”

With that, her nephew makes his way back home. Corinne waits until he’s out of earshot before continuing towards the Titan.

“He seems better than before, at least,” she starts with a hint of worry in her voice. “But he’s been so depressed lately. What should I do, Azurda? There’s only so much comfort I can offer him…”

The village protector looks up at the heavens. “Just give the boy some time. It looks like he’s on the right track now.”

“What did you talk about?”

“Rex will be following his own advice. He plans to put his efforts towards ensuring the safety and tranquility of Elysium. I’m sure he will be back to normal soon.”

The caretaker turns back towards the house. “You really think so?”

The Titan nods and smiles reassuringly. “I know so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know how to write panic attacks, so forgive me if it's inaccurate
> 
> also I wrote half of this outside because the weather has been really nice lately, and you know what Dromarch says
> 
> f L oR a HeA Ls A n Ac H In G s Ou L
> 
> ...and my soul is slowly dying, so it's fitting I think


	4. Peace of Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The young teen laughs again, and Nia can’t help but join in, when his smile is so infectious. She loves the optimistic side of Rex, and seeing a trace of it has lifted her spirits after today’s incident. Thinking back on the day’s events, it seems like both of them can finally start looking towards the future, instead of reflecting on the past. And despite the consequences, maybe all the recent chaos was a good thing, if it helped Rex take a step in overcoming his grief. She’s willing to believe that he’ll be back to his old self soon enough, and she’s ready to help him through the rough patches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter ended up being twice as long as the previous three  
> it's slightly over ten pages in Google Docs wowie
> 
> thanks again to my editor for helping me write this one; it's longer than I planned, but that's ok!

Two days after the Aegis's funeral, Mòrag and Brighid had left, while Zeke decided last minute to stay an extra day. Nia wakes up unbearably early, long before the sunrise will paint the cerulean sky in its brilliant hues of orange and coral pink. She begins to roll over, only to find that a certain turtle has made his way into her bed once again upon forcing her tired eyes open. She sighs and reluctantly drags herself out of bed, nowhere near in the mood to deal with something so trivial at this hour, but the sooner she can get back to sleep, the better.

The Gormotti spots an empty box against the wall and decides Turters can stay there until morning. She doesn't mind Zeke and Pandoria's company, but she'd really rather not endure their dramatic antics when her precious sleep has been interrupted by their pet. With that in mind, she scoops up the small reptile and carefully places him inside the cardboard box, praying that he doesn't have the secret ability to climb up the walls and out of it. Then again, it's still a mystery how he manages to climb into her bed at night, but she chooses not to think about that and hopes that he'll stay put until she can return him to his owners.

Nia crawls back into bed and closes her eyes for a minute, but sleep never seems to consume her, despite the fact that she's extremely tired. She growls and sits up in bed, glancing out the window. Perhaps she'll take a short walk to clear her head for a little bit, then maybe she'll be able to sleep properly.  _She's already awake; she might as well do something._

The Flesh Eater sighs again and tip toes out of the girls' room, careful to make as little noise as possible. Upon descending the stairs, she finds that she's not the only one who can't seem to sleep. Hunched over on the couch, seemingly in deep thought, is none other than Rex. She's not sure why she's surprised to find him awake, given all that's been on his mind as of late, but nevertheless she decides to join him.

"Hey," she whispers, giving a small wave to get his attention. He snaps his head up, shocked to see that someone else is awake so early.

"Oh—hi."

"Can't sleep?" the healer guesses, taking a seat next to him.

"Yeah...I've had a lot on my mind. You?"

"Turters woke me up again."

The brunette laughs softly at that, and Nia suddenly realizes that it's been so long since she's seen him smile, much less laugh at something. It only makes her more determined to be someone he can lean on, so she can see that smile again.

"So...what's bothering you?"

Rex sighs, trying to figure out how to express his difficult emotions in a way that makes sense. "It's...it's not about Pyra. Well, not entirely. I feel better after the funeral, at least; I don't feel as empty as before. I still miss her of course, but now that she finally has a place to rest, I think I can start taking the next step in moving on." He sighs. "Sorry. I'm not explaining it well." The boy pauses, unsure of what to say next. Nia waits wordlessly for him to continue.

"But...I still don't feel whole. There's something missing, and I can't figure out what it is. I mean—I know what I have to do now. I said it earlier; I'm going to do everything I can to make sure Pyra's final wish is fulfilled. And yet...I don't think I can do it."

The Gormotti raises her eyebrows at that. This is very new to her. Rex rarely ever shows signs of insecurity or doubt; he's usually confident in his abilities. But on the other hand, he's still experiencing grief, so he's probably not in his right mind anyway.

"What d'ya mean by that?" she asks, prodding him to elaborate.

"I'm not as strong as I used to be. I only became so powerful because of Pyra and Mythra. I'm weak without them; without their power, I wouldn't have lasted five minutes."

"Rex…"

The salvager shakes his head. "I just… I want to make them proud, but...I'm not up to the task."

Nia's ears twitch, and she scoffs in disbelief. "...You can't be serious."

"Well...I am."

She takes the young teen by the shoulders, expression resolute. "Listen, Rex. You're not weak. You're powerful even without Pyra or Mythra by your side. And you've taken on big responsibilities in the past and handled them like they were nothing. Fighting against Jin and Malos in Morytha? Taking over the mercenary group? You didn't need the Aegis to do any of that. The Rex I know is confident and strong-willed; he wouldn't hesitate to help someone out, and he's perfectly capable of handling himself."

"I know, but-"

"Look. What I'm trying to say is that you're independent. You do just fine on your own. I know you're capable of many things when you put your mind to it, so I'm sure that whatever comes next won't be something you can't handle." The Flesh Eater lets go of his shoulders to take his hands in hers, ignoring the possibility of a negative reaction. "So I need you to promise me something."

The boy doesn't react, still as romantically oblivious as ever. "What's that?"

"Promise me you won't doubt yourself. And that you never lose your optimism. You're like a completely different person without it. Just...don't change, okay?"

"Uh...yeah. I can do that."

"Thanks, Rex." Nia gives his hands a squeeze. "By the way, don't worry about protecting Elysium too much. Things are peaceful now, there's no immediate threat. You can take your time to figure things out."

Rex groans. " _Please_  don't jinx it. I want this peace to last." he jokes.

The two share a laugh (with their hands still clasped together, something Nia takes note of but Rex doesn't seem to mind), and both feel like the weight on their shoulders is just a little bit lighter. Finally Nia releases his hands and stands to leave, but is stopped when Rex grabs her arm, holding her in place. He swallows apprehensively.

"Please...could you, erm...stay? I don't...want to be alone."

It shatters Nia's heart to see Rex like this. It makes her want to hold him close, to tell him everything is alright and to soothingly course her fingers through his hair like she did in the beginning, but she knows that would be crossing too many boundaries. She offers a warm smile before returning to her seat.

Silence weaves its way into the atmosphere. They don't bother to break it; the simple presence of each other seems to be enough to satisfy both of them. The brunette inches closer to the healer and hugs his knees to his chest, thinking. After another minute of awkward silence, he finally speaks up.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

The boy doesn't meet her gaze, instead fidgeting with his hands self-consciously. "You must be sick of this by now. I've done nothing but bring everyone down and you're always the one who has to come talk to me or fetch me for stuff. I'm just wasting your time. You really shouldn't have to do all this for me."

Nia is taken aback by this statement. Why would he think that? She told him she didn't mind a few days ago, so why is he still upset over it? Her ears twitch again and she rests a hand on Rex's cheek to turn his face towards her. She ignores the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat and she does her best to resist the urge to kiss him for reassurance, but  _Architect, it's hard when he looks so helpless._

She shuffles these thoughts aside; it wouldn't be right to pursue a relationship with him right after Pyra's death. She needs to focus on what's really important.

"I told you before, didn't I? I really don't mind." The Flesh Eater begins. "The truth is, being able to take care of you has helped me a little bit too. I think...it's good for both us, as crazy as that sounds. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

The teen's expression shifts from apologetic to surprised. "You...really think that?"

The Gormotti nods. "Of course." she says genuinely. "And, don't forget that you can talk to me anytime. I'm always willing to listen. You can tell any of the others as well; we're all here for you."

She sees Rex physically relax, his shoulders no longer looking stiff. He smiles after whispering a small "Thank you", and Nia's heart skips a beat. Bloody hell, why did she have to fall in love with him? It's unfair. Naturally, the salvager only makes her suffering worse by pulling her into a friendly hug, which she isn't necessarily opposed to, but it doesn't make her painful crush any easier to deal with. A moment passes, and she attempts to pull away, because they're being way more intimate than they should be right now, but stops when she hears faint snores coming from the brunette in her embrace. His deep breathing makes sense now as the realization dawns on her that Rex has fallen asleep in her arms.

This can't be real.

Focus, Nia. She sighs and drapes an arm around him, no longer caring about what could go wrong with this situation. She would wake him up, but she knows he hasn't been sleeping that well lately, so she decides not to bother him. She's far too tired to get up anyway, and Zeke and Pandoria aren't leaving too early, so they should have plenty of time to get a good night's sleep and separate before someone finds them.

Finally feeling content, the healer allows her fatigue to take control and she drifts off to sleep.

* * *

Rex is the first to wake up a few hours later. He waits for a moment before opening his eyes, only to discover that he's not in his own room, but instead on the couch downstairs in the living room. How did he get here? The last thing he remembers is...

The brunette takes a look at his surroundings, before finally landing his eyes on the sleeping girl next to him. Upon realizing the situation, his breath hitches and he props himself up as fast as possible, looking down at Nia, who was previously being used as a pillow mere seconds ago. He awkwardly untangles his arms out from under her with an intense blush on his cheeks and scrambles to the other side of the couch, his heartbeat going a titanped a minute. Her arm, which was resting on his back, had fallen to the floor upon him moving, and he sincerely hopes she doesn't wake up in the next ten seconds. He shrinks into the corner of the cushions, an embarrassed, nervous wreck. Another minute passes, and Nia begins to stir, causing a wave of anxiety to wash over Rex. He watches apprehensively as she opens her eyes slowly before sitting up and taking in her surroundings.

"Wha…?" she mumbles, still half-asleep. "...Oh." She rubs her eyes groggily and looks at the salvager. "Morning. Sleep well?"

"Uh...y-yeah. You?"

The Gormotti yawns. "I've slept better."

Rex finally withdraws from his spot on the edge of the couch and inches closer with as much courage as he can muster. He rubs the back of his neck nervously. "Er, um...sorry. About earlier."

Nia eyes him quizzically.

"I-I mean...for falling asleep." the young teen elaborates, pointedly fixing his gaze on the floor. "I know that must have been awkward for you."

It's not far from the truth, but the Flesh Eater decides to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I knew you were tired, so I didn't bother waking you up."

"Oh...okay." The salvager chooses not to mention what kind of position they were in when he woke up, for both of their sakes. He stands and makes his way to the stairs. "Well, I'd better get ready for today. I promised the guys at the guild a salvaging demonstration for the new hires. They'll be here soon."

"Don't screw it up like you did for the kids," Nia jokes.

"Oi! It was only that one time!"

The healer only laughs in response as Rex begins the trip up the stairs. He stops halfway through.

"By the way, Nia…"

"What?"

He angles his head downwards, suggesting Nia do the same. Upon following his request, what she finds is the last thing she expected.

By some impossible means, lying comfortably in her lap is Turters.

"How?!"

The boy only shrugs, and with a halfhearted chuckle, he leaves. He seemed back to normal just a few seconds ago, but his grief still managed to resurface. Nia can tell he's still feeling unlike himself, but he's slowly starting to come back. It's like his disposition has become an uncontrollable switch. Sometimes he feels alright, and other times his melancholy still remains. She hopes that going back to work will serve as a distraction long enough for him move on.

The Gormotti comes back to the present, shaking her head. She stares down at the reptile in her lap, confused. She's willing to bet that this animal can either teleport, or is just an amazing climber. She reluctantly decides to go with the latter and sighs heavily as she picks up Zeke and Pandoria's "mascot" to return him like she intended hours ago.

"Oi! Shellhead!" she hisses as she pounds on the door to the guys' room. She doesn't get a response, as expected. Zeke is a pretty heavy sleeper. The Flesh Eater hammers on the door again.

Dromarch answers this time, poking his head out and looking aporetic. "Is there a problem, my lady?"

"Yes." the healer growls, shoving her hands out in front of her to reveal Turters, wearing a look that could kill.

The tiger's disposition remains calm, although mixed with slight amusement. "Ah, I see."

"Would you mind taking him? I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with this."

The beast Blade nods humbly in understanding. "As you wish."

"Tell Zeke that if I find his bloody turtle again, the consequences will be severe."

Dromarch nods again. The reptile is carefully positioned on his head, and the Driver and Blade part ways.

With Turters taken care of, Nia can finally focus on herself for once. Given all that's been happening, she needs some time to think. As she makes her way upstairs to the girls' room, she decides the graveyard is a good a place as any; she's been meaning to speak to Pyra for a while now anyway.

As she pads down the hall, she almost considers stopping by Rex's room to offer a few words of encouragement, but ultimately chooses not to bother him. He'll be fine today; she needs to know when to stop coddling him. She shakes her head and continues.

The Flesh Eater is genuinely surprised to find that everyone is still asleep, considering all the noise she made earlier. She figures it doesn't matter and quietly fetches her shoes and puts on her normal outfit before heading back downstairs and out the front door.

The first thing Nia notices upon stepping outside is how fresh the summer air feels. She takes a deep breath, absorbing the fair weather momentarily. Then she starts on her trip to the graveyard. While she walks through the village (choosing to take the scenic route of course), she realizes that Fonsett has sort of become her new home. There's no way she's going back to Gormott; she has too many bad memories that were made there. And she doesn't really have a reason to live on any of the other titans, so Leftheria seems like the best place to settle and live out the rest of her life.

Being able to stay with Rex is also part of her reasoning, but she doesn't want to think about that when she's on her way to have a talk with his departed almost-girlfriend.

Nia reaches the graveyard a few minutes later. Pyra's headstone stands out from the others, being the only one with an emerald Core Crystal embedded into it. She allows herself to smile, just for a moment. She misses Pyra; she misses her sweet smile, and her good cooking, and her warm personality. Knowing the Blade is really gone has been hard to think about. It was worrying when Torna had her in their grasp, but this time Nia knows nothing could have been done to save her. She chose to sacrifice herself, and Nia supposes that's just how things are now.

The Gormotti takes a deep breath and approaches the Aegis's grave. She kneels reverently and caps a hand over her heart for a moment, paying her respects. When she opens her eyes, they're filled with tears, and she silently lets them fall down her face. It's been two weeks since Rebirth, and Nia hasn't allowed herself to cry until now. She's been so occupied with making sure Rex is okay, she hasn't been able to grieve herself. Letting him see her cry would make it harder for him to move on, so she had to be strong for his sake. But now, having the opportunity to set free all the emotions smoldering inside her has taken a huge weight off her shoulders. She doesn't feel good, but she feels better, and she hopes that maybe after today she can achieve some peace of mind.

A few more minutes pass before Nia is ready to voice her thoughts. She briskly brushes the tears off her face and tries to regain her composure.

"It's not fair, Pyra," she begins. "I don't want to take him from you. I wish you were here. It was easier to ignore how I felt when I knew he was in love with you. I just… I wish you didn't have to go. And, I know… I know it's selfish of me to think that. I… I'm sorry." She stops here, unsure of what she wants to say next. She decides to change the subject.

"Rex has been really hard on himself lately. Physically and emotionally. He hasn't been sleeping well, he's hardly eaten anything, and he's just not himself. Sometimes he seems alright, but...most of the time he's still upset over losing you."

The Flesh Eater pauses, thinking as a cool breeze dances in the air.

"I don't want you to worry though. I've been doing my best to make sure he's alright. And I'll do everything I can to look out for him in the future. What you asked me back in Tantal… I'm going to protect him, just like I did before." Nia rises to her feet and closes her eyes for a moment, appreciating the calm silence enveloping the atmosphere. She doesn't know nor care how long she ends up standing there, but soon enough her timeless moment of serenity is cut short by the outbursts of a certain Nopon mechanic, who is struggling to climb the stairs leading to the graveyard, short of breath by the time he reaches the top.

"Nia, come quick! Rex-Rex is in trouble at Urchon Isle!" Tora exclaims, carrying a sense of urgency in his voice.

The healer's ears twitch in concern as she turns to face her friend. "How? What happened?!"

"Big scary monster appeared not too long ago! Rex-Rex went to fight it alone!"

"That idiot!" Nia hisses as she sprints her way down the steps and on to Corinne's house, Tora not far behind.

"Where's Poppi?" she demands, slowing down only slightly so as not to run into any passersby.

"Poppi helping to evacuate," the pseudo-Driver answers. "Tora came to look for Nia."

"Okay, that's good." They finally arrive back at the house. "You go find Poppi, I'm gonna fetch Dromarch."

And with that, the Gormotti throws the door open and dashes inside, not bothering to close it behind her.

"Dromarch!" she shouts for her Blade. "I need your help, now!"

The beast is seen in mere seconds, ready to assist his Driver without needing to know the issue. He knows he can trust her, and vice versa.

"Is Zeke still here?" Nia asks.

"I'm afraid he left not long after you, my lady." the tiger replies.

The Driver only growls in frustration and rushes back out the door with her Blade following behind. They don't get far before they're stopped by Corinne, who is working in the garden.

"Nia, what's going on?"

"There's a monster. Rex is trying to fight it on his own." the girl in question quickly explains, before hopping onto Dromarch's back.

The older woman drops everything immediately. "Rex is what?!"

"Don't worry, we're on our way to help. Everything will be fine, I promise."

And with that, they take off, hoping that they can prevent anyone from getting severely hurt. The Isle is a bit far from the village, even after it fused with the mainland, so each passing second only increases Nia's anxiety. She supposes she'll find out what happened soon enough.

* * *

Rex has never fought a Lexos this strong before. Then again, he's never fought a Lexos without the Aegis before, so perhaps his theory from earlier is correct. He takes a step back to gather his thoughts and think up a strategy. If he could only topple this monster, things would be so much easier for him. But unfortunately, Anchor Shot only works after Break is inflicted.

He groans in exasperation, though it's directed more at himself than the situation. All of this is his fault; if he hadn't sent the the group of beginners here to practice, none of them would be in danger right now. It looks like his ability to protect Elysium is going to be put to the test sooner rather than later. Whether he's really up for it, he's about to find out.

"Mister Rex, be careful!" one of the novices cries out. The brunette doesn't have time to respond, as he's too busy trying to deflect as many blows from the monster as possible. Many of them happen to land, creating various cuts on his arms and torso.

Rex charges forward, ready to use Double Spinning Edge, but the Lexos sees this and counters with its tail, sending him back and causing him to lose his footing, which results in a sharp pain in his left ankle. He hisses in agony, but tries his best to retain his stance.  _Where is Nia right now?_  Her aid in fighting this beast would be a nice thing to have. Hazel ran off to get help a little while ago; he can only hope that it's on the way.

Ignoring the pain in his probably twisted ankle, the salvager attempts to use another Art, Sword Bash, knowing full well that none of his attacks will be able to deal critical amounts of damage due to being the monster's only opponent. This attack manages to hit, causing its target to roar in pain at the deep gash across its cheek. Even more provoked than before, the dragon slams its nose forward in a headbutt, sending the young teen tumbling backwards while his sword skids a few feet away. With its adversary disarmed and vulnerable, the Lexos closes in, ready to deliver the final blow. Rex raises his arms in defense and shuts his eyes, steeling himself for whatever injury the beast is planning to inflict.

The monster is suddenly hit by an outside force before it gets the chance to incapacitate its target. It turns around to spot its new attacker, allowing Rex to open his eyes and figure out what just happened. He lowers his arms to see Nia and Tora, who seem to have arrived just in time. The Gormotti leaps from Dromarch's back and wastes no time in casting a quick healing Art before putting herself between Rex and the Lexos.

"Are you out of your mind?!" she screams, using Gemini Loop to drive the beast back a few feet. "I said you were strong, not invincible!"

The boy doesn't have any words for that. She's right; he should have been more careful, but he doesn't want to think about what could have happened had he waited for backup and let the monster wreak havoc. He decides now isn't the time to argue and stands—albeit with a little trouble—before limping towards his weapon to pick it up.

"Can you still use Arts?" Nia asks. Rex nods in response.

"Sure, but it hurts to walk."

"Yeah, I gathered that. All I need you to do is topple it. Can you do that?"

"Definitely."

"Tora, get ready!" The Flesh Eater calls out. The Nopon waves and gives her a thumbs up, indicating his understanding.

With a strategy in mind, the three of them prepare to take down the Lexos. Nia starts by using Butterfly Blade, inflicting Break. She signals to Rex, who follows up with Anchor Shot, bringing the dragon to the ground. The healer then tosses her rings to Dromarch for a Blade Art. He uses Raging Tiger, each blow pushing the beast farther to the edge. The party moves in for the kill, ready to finish what they started. Tora delivers the final blow, a powerful Steady Drill, driving the monster back into the sea. It sinks with a huge splash, causing a few waves to wash over the edge of the Isle.

Rex releases a breath he didn't know he was holding and kneels from exhaustion, the adrenaline from the fight wearing off. He winces in pain from his various wounds, and Nia joins him seconds later to survey the damage.

"You okay?"

The brunette coughs and hugs his side, which suffered a lengthy cut from the sharp fins of the Lexos. "I think so."

"Come on, we should get you patched up. Tora, get the amateur salvagers back to the village."

"Right away!"

The Gormotti helps Rex to his feet, putting his arm over her shoulder to provide support. She guides him to Dromarch, allowing him to ride on the Blade's back for the trip back to Fonsett, while she chooses to simply walk beside the tiger. The hike back to the village is silent, save for the occasional grunt of agony from Rex. By the time they return and get the brunette back on his feet, Corinne is already waiting outside, anxious about her nephew's condition. The salvager flashes her a weary smile before continuing to limp inside, with Nia keeping him upright.

"Alright," the Flesh Eater starts, once they make it to the living room. "I need you to change out of your salvaging gear so I can start patching you up. I'm gonna go fetch my first aid kit."

Rex leans against a wall to avoid falling over. "Wait, no Blade powers?"

"I can't rely on them all the time, genius. I need to keep up my practical skills, too. So, congrats, you get to be my practice dummy."

"Oh, great. A real honor."

"Just shut up and get dressed. I'd like to start healing you sometime today."

The boy sighs dramatically and starts down the hall, but he stops midway.

"Hey, Nia?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks. For saving me. That monster would still be a problem if not for you."

"Of course. Don't mention it."

And with that, the teen smiles before disappearing into his room. When he returns in a t-shirt and shorts, Nia has almost every medical item in her first aid kit lined up beside her, ready to be put to use. Rex takes a seat on the couch, and Nia selects a disinfectant and some bandages.

"I've got a question for ya." she says, choosing to start with the gash across her patient's torso.

"What would—ow! ...What would that be?"

"What the bloody hell were you thinking, running off like that?! You're lucky I showed up when I did."

The brunette flinches as the healer continues to apply the disinfectant to the wound on his side. "What else could I have done? It was my fault that everyone was put in danger to begin with, anyway. I'm the one who sent the new recruits to practice at the Isle of Urchon, so I felt like the monster was my responsibility to deal with."

"Rex, nobody knew that would happen. That beast could have shown up regardless of where you sent them. What's important is that none of them got hurt."

The Flesh Eater begins to wrap Rex's torso in gauze. "But you're still an idiot who's too reckless for his own good, and I never want to see you do anything like that again."

The salvager doesn't respond for a moment. Nia almost speaks up again, but is stopped when he chuckles lightly.

She moves on to the smaller cuts and bruises around Rex's arms. "What's so funny all of a sudden?"

"Haha, nothing. It's just...that's the most fun I've had in awhile. It was kinda thrilling. Fighting that Lexos made me feel...alive."

"What?"

Rex grimaces briefly before continuing. "I said that getting over losing Pyra and Mythra will be easier now that they have a place to rest. And after what happened...I think I understand what that really means. I think the knowledge of that has given me some peace of mind, and it allowed me to feel...normal. Like I'm finally on the right track to being myself again."

The Gormotti stops for a minute, processing the boy's words. Then she resumes her task.

"That's...wow. That's deep," she says, cleaning out the last cut, which is on Rex's shoulder. "It's good that you're coming back to us, Rex; I missed you. We all did."

The young teen laughs again, and Nia can't help but join in, when his smile is so infectious. She loves the optimistic side of Rex, and seeing a trace of it has lifted her spirits after today's incident. Thinking back on the day's events, it seems like both of them can finally start looking towards the future, instead of reflecting on the past. And despite the consequences, maybe all the recent chaos was a good thing, if it helped Rex take a step in overcoming his grief. She's willing to believe that he'll be back to his old self soon enough, and she's ready to help him through the rough patches.

For Nia, the future no longer looks blurry, and Rex no longer feels lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never played XC2 and it shows  
> I have no idea if the combat was accurate lmao


	5. Request, Respite, and Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are some moments that Rex wishes he could just forget. Whether it be because certain memories are just too painful to think about, or if they were just unbearably embarrassing when they happened, sometimes the mere thought of them makes him want to disappear from the world for a while. Like a Blade, reverting back to its Core Crystal; slowly dissolving into nothing while they're stripped of all their memories, one by one.
> 
> ...Okay, maybe not quite to that extent, but the desire to isolate himself is still there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After what felt like an absolute eternity, I've finally emerged from the depths to bring you...this.
> 
> This took SO FLIPPIN LONG TO WRITE WHAT THE HELL..............  
> My motivation was being dragged through the mud with this, but I'm happy with how this one turned out  
> also BIG HECKIN THANKS TO ALASTAIR FOR STICKIN WITH ME FOR THIS CUZ WOW IT SURE WAS AN ADVENTURE

The last three days have been a little difficult for those of the Aegis party still remaining in Fonsett, who happened to be Rex and Nia, after Tora finally returned home. Rex had been planning on going back to work, but couldn't due to his injuries, and Nia (between periodically checking up on Rex's condition and helping Corinne in the garden) has felt nothing but boredom. With Malos and Torna no longer a threat, the only opportunities to put her combat skills to good use are when the occasional monster appears, and even that is a rare occurrence. She almost feels...useless. She wants—no,  _needs_ —to be a part of something, but she has no idea what. As much as she loves the peaceful environment that the village offers, she has a certain longing for excitement. Something thrilling, but not exactly threatening; the recent monster attack is not something she wishes to experience a second time.

Nia sighs and continues to pull the weeds that are scattered throughout the garden. Dromarch is helping her nearby, and Corinne is keeping busy watering the various plants. It's still early in the morning, so she assumes Rex is either still asleep, or finally realizing that no matter how many times he insists on helping out, she isn't going to let his unfortunate ankle suffer.

As the healer finishes her task, the thought of making Fonsett her new home crosses her mind again. She's considered it before, but she isn't sure what Rex and Corinne would think of that. However, she's been helping out around the house, and even speaks to some of the villagers whenever she's bored. It's almost like she already officially lives here, and so far no one has questioned her prolonged visit. Perhaps the Leftherians wouldn't mind, after all.

Nia decides it can't hurt to ask and makes her way to Rex's guardian.

"Hey, Corinne?"

The caretaker looks up briefly. "Yes, dear?"

"I've been thinking… Ever since we returned from the World Tree, you said we could stay as long as needed to. I'm the only one left besides Rex and...I've decided I really like it here." She pauses. "I...want to stay here. For good. Would you, erm, be all right with that?"

The older woman puts her work on hold momentarily. She places a comforting hand on the Gormotti's shoulder.

"I don't mind at all, dear, what's mine is yours. Besides, I think Rex quite enjoys your company. I'm sure he would very much like you to stay."

The Flesh Eater's ears perk up and she ignores the pink dusting her cheeks at that comment. "R-right. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"No, really. It...means a lot. To me. I...haven't had a place to call home in a long time. My past made it hard for me. I just—" She sighs. "Thank you."

With a grateful smile, Nia wraps her arms around the Leftherian, and Corinne returns the gesture in understanding, deciding not to pry about the girl's history. Just like with Pyra, she doesn't need to know her struggles in order to provide support.

After a minute, they finally pull away, having been interrupted by someone calling for Corinne. As a young man approaches, Nia can only guess as to who he is, but judging by the satchel he carries on his shoulder and the envelope he holds in his hand, he's probably in charge of mail delivery. He looks like someone who had big ambitions, but ended up following a different path, yet still tries his best in that path in hopes of achieving something great. Or maybe that's just her imagination trying to give her  _something_  to think about due to extreme boredom. The healer casts this thought aside and turns her attention to the situation.

"This is a letter for Rex," the postman explains, handing the envelope to Corinne. She accepts it with a friendly smile and dismisses him, before turning back to Nia.

"Would you mind taking this for me? The flowers haven't been watered yet."

"Sure," the Gormotti replies, and heads back inside, Dromarch close behind. Upon entering the house, she finds Rex hunched over on the couch, reading a book. Nia almost takes a step back in shock; it's surprising to see him like this. She always assumed that the salvager wasn't really a bookworm, given how much he seems to love the outdoors and how energetic he usually is, but perhaps he's merely just as bored as she is and decided to do something different. Regardless, she approaches him and taps him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Didn't know you liked to read."

The brunette jumps in place, startled, before cringing at the sudden flash of pain that comes from the gash on his side.

"Good morning to you too," he greets with a slight grimace while placing a hand on his injury. Nia takes a seat next to him to check the various bandages wrapped around his torso and arms.

"Whatcha reading there?"

"Some history book."

"That bored, huh?"

"What do you expect me to do? I can't walk." Rex deadpans. The Flesh Eater brushes her fingers over the lengthy cut, causing him to inhale sharply. She utters a quick apology before picking up the letter next to her.

"Well, hopefully things will liven up soon. This came in the mail for you."

"Do you know who it's from?" the young teen asks, carefully opening the envelope.

"Can't say I do."

And with that, Rex slowly reads through the letter upon unfolding it. After a few minutes of silence, he finally allows it to rest on top of the book in his lap and runs a hand through his hair with his brows furrowed in thought.

Nia eyes the letter curiously. "What is it?"

"Apparently folks in Fonsett aren't the only ones who know about what happened to Pyra and Mythra. There's a sculptor in Mor Ardain who wants to build a memorial in honor of her sacrifice, and he wants my permission, as her Driver."

The healer gives the letter a onceover, skimming through it. "That's...wow. Are you gonna accept?"

The salvager nods. "Definitely. The world needs to know what she did for them, and I think something like this is a good way to honor her memory."

"...I agree."

Rex makes an effort to stand, careful not to apply too much pressure to his left foot. "I'm gonna leave for Mor Ardain tomorrow, to meet with him in person."

The Gormotti mirrors his actions. "How do you expect to do that? You're still not fully healed."

"I'll be fine. You said it yourself; I'm independent, right?"

"But I also said you weren't invincible. You should at least wait a couple of days before you go."

Rex sighs and flops back onto the couch. "...Fine. But only because you insist."

* * *

One week later, they had decided to get a ride from Azurda instead of paying to board a ship to Mor Ardain. Rex was particular about not having to spend any gold if it wasn't necessary, especially due to being temporarily out of work. Nia refused to let him go alone, and therefore continued to allow him to use her as a crutch of sorts because he adamantly protested against getting a real one. He hasn't complained, but it's been clear that he isn't partial to the idea of feeling dependent, especially when Azurda jokingly calls him old from time to time during the trip.

When they finally arrive at Alba Cavanich, late in the day, two figures are at the dock, waiting to meet them. Upon getting closer, they can tell that the two welcoming them are none other than Brighid and Mòrag. Nia gives a friendly wave as Azurda approaches the dock, before helping Rex to his feet and gathering their things. The titan turns his head to face the two on his back as they prepare to take their leave.

"Make sure to look after the old man, Nia."

An immediate, frustrated, "I'm not old!" is deliberately ignored.

The healer laughs. "Don't worry, I'll keep him from falling face-first."

Rex scoffs. "It's not my fault that my ankle is twisted."

"Actually, it  _is_  your fault."

"Whatever, I blame the Lexos."

Nia lifts Rex's arm around her shoulder. "Sure, call it whatever you want."

And with that, the two make their way down the ramp and onto the dock to greet Mòrag and Brighid. After some friendly handshakes are exchanged between both parties, the blue flame Blade smiles and bows respectively.

"I can take your bags, if you don't mind."

The Gormotti carefully transfers hers and Rex's knapsacks of the few things they brought with them into Brighid's hands. "Thanks, but...how did you two know we were coming here?"

Mòrag begins walking, leading the way to what Rex assumes is an inn. "We spoke to a professional sculptor at the emperor's request. He wanted to do whatever he could to thank the Aegis, and in turn, her Driver. So, we wanted to know your thoughts on the matter."

Rex almost stops in his tracks in surprise, but realizes he's already too many steps behind to afford doing so. He continues to limp forward and attempts to catch up as much as possible, dragging Nia along with him.

"I think it's great! It'll give people an opportunity to learn more about her. What lengths she went to in order to protect us, and the whole world. I think that's really cool, and I want to help inform as many people as I can."

The Flamebringer hums. "What an admirable thing to say. I expected nothing less from you."

"Indeed," Brighid chimes in. "I am looking forward to the day when it is finished."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Brighid. Rex still has yet to speak with the one we hired for the job. We can't expect anything yet."

"Of course, Lady Mòrag."

"So, Rex," Nia speaks up. "Have you got anything in mind?"

The brunette shifts his pace from the painful wound in his side. "I'd like it to be something that represents both of them. Pyra and Mythra, I mean. So...maybe it could look like their Core Crystal? With some text engraved somewhere, something about her bravery. So, I guess it could be similar to—" He stops, the image of Pyra and Mythra's grave crossing his mind. The headstone that he worked so hard to perfect, with its floral engravings and the epitaph below the emerald Core Crystal embedded into it. He sighs and shakes his head. "Something that looks like her grave...back in Fonsett."

No more words are exchanged after that. Next to him, Nia knits her eyebrows in concern, but switches her expression before he can take notice. As the party finally arrives at their destination, Jakolo's Inn, the sun is beginning to fall behind the horizon, and the temperature starts to drop. And actually, now that Rex is thinking about it, he realizes that even before now, the Ardanian titan didn't seem nearly as arid as it was the last time he was here. Perhaps when the titans fused with the mainland, there were some climate changes. It almost makes him want to revisit the other titans to see if their weather patterns changed as well. He makes a mental note to look into this later; right now he's exhausted from limping all the way here from the docks and he really just needs to rest.

They wait quietly while Mòrag speaks with the innkeeper to get their room keys. Finally she turns around and presents both to Rex and Nia with a generous smile.

"Your rooms are already paid for. Don't worry about paying me back." She shoots Rex a knowing look. "We will discuss the plans for the memorial in further detail tomorrow. Until then, feel free to make yourselves comfortable."

The Flesh Eater nods. "Thanks Mòrag. It means a lot." She looks to Rex. "Once we get our rooms, I'm heading upstairs to the hot springs. I'll be back in a while."

Brighid returns the knapsacks and turns to her Driver. "Lady Mòrag, perhaps it might be worth joining her. I'm sure that it would be a nice opportunity to catch up."

The Special Inquisitor thinks for a moment before responding. "Hm. A fair point, Brighid. After all, it has been a while since I have been given the chance to put myself at ease."

Nia glances up at the Ardanian Driver-Blade duo. "Hey, thanks for tagging along. You two go on ahead; I'll catch up in a minute."

And with that, the two parties separate. Rex manages to limp his way down the hall by using the wall to keep his balance, after insisting that he's leaned on Nia long enough.

"I offered you a crutch, you know."

The salvager stops for a moment. "I told you, I don't need one."

"Alright, tough guy. Whatever you say."

The two continue in silence until they reach their respective rooms. Nia utters a fond "G'night Rex," before retreating into her room to set down her things before leaving to join Mòrag and Brighid upstairs.

The first thought that crosses her mind as she reaches the top floor of the inn is that she never noticed how helping Corinne in the garden has taken such a painful toll on her shoulders. Soaking in the hot spring will definitely help.

Mòrag and Brighid are there to greet her. Nia gives them a small wave before stepping in and allowing the steamy hot water to submerge everything below her neck. Yep, she was right; she can already feel the aching in her shoulders start to dissipate. Despite her concern, she's grateful that Rex insisted on coming to Mor Ardain; she never knew how much she needed this until she actually came here. The healer closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, enjoying the opportunity to relax. She almost falls asleep if not for Brighid, who decides to be the first to break the silence.

"Nia, could you answer something for me?"

The Gormotti perks up slightly, opening her eyes and turning to face the Blade.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I'm curious...did something happen to Rex?"

"Huh? What d'ya mean?"

"The boy's recent injuries," Mòrag interjects. "What caused them?"

Nia's ears twitch. "Oh—that. There was a monster attack in Fonsett a week and a half ago. He rushed in without thinking, as usual, so Tora and I had to back him up. He was in bad shape when I found him, and I would have healed him with my powers, but…" She averts her eyes. "He needed a wake-up call. He's not invincible, and I felt like that's something he needed to learn, especially because he doesn't have the power of the Aegis anymore."

"But it has been a while, yes? Were you not planning on healing him later?"

The Flesh Eater sinks an inch deeper below the water's surface. "Well…"

Brighid's lips curve into a sly smile. "Oh, I think I know what's going on here."

Mòrag gives her a questioning look, prodding her to continue.

"I don't believe that's the only reason why you haven't used your powers yet, Nia."

The girl in question only squeaks in response, powerless to defend herself.

"Could it be that you just enjoy taking care of him?"

The healer's cheeks turn red and she attempts to sink even further in embarrassment, only to realize she can't and chokes on the hot water. Instead, she opts to hide her face in her hands.

The blue flame Blade chuckles. "Was I right?"

"You'd better not tell Rex," Nia hisses, her ears flattening.

Mòrag smiles. "Our lips are sealed."

At that, the Gormotti drops her defensive act and relaxes. "So Mòrag," she begins, changing the subject. "What's gonna happen when the whole thing is finished? The memorial, I mean."

The Flamebringer pushes a strand of hair from her face. "The Emperor is planning to host a celebratory ball in honor of the project's completion. In fact, he would like for you and Rex to attend."

Nia leans forward in interest. "Wow, really?"

Brighid nods. "Indeed. We'll be sending invitations to the others as well."

"I volunteered to oversee the construction process myself," Mòrag adds. "I don't imagine Rex wishes to stay here for an indefinite period of time."

The Flesh Eater hums. "You're right about that. Still, it'll be nice to see everyone else again. Even though I haven't danced in a long time."

"Yes, it will certainly be a lively event. We look forward to the day."

Nia smiles and props herself up against the side of the bath, not completely standing up. "Well, I think I'm gonna head out now. It was nice talking to you two."

Brighid smiles and gives a small wave. "Likewise. We'll see you again tomorrow."

The Gormotti nods slightly before stepping out, retrieving the towel that she came in with and making her way towards the door. She slides it open, and freezes.

Standing opposite of her, on the other side of the doorway, is Rex. Wearing nothing but a towel, incidentally. It takes every ounce of effort from both parties not to let their eyes wander below each other's collarbone, but  _Architect, it's agonizingly difficult when they're standing a mere two feet away from each other._ Neither one seems to have the courage to move or speak; it's as though they've paralyzed themselves in the presence of the other. The scene drags on for another painful ten seconds before Nia manages to do something. Having finally got a grip on the situation, she makes a high-pitched sound that's a mix of a scream and a sharp gasp and swiftly turns around, hiding her face in her hands. Mòrag is the one to apprehensively remind her that she left the door open, to which she whips back around to slam it shut.

And here she thought her emotions regarding the boy on the other side couldn't get any worse; seeing the majority of Rex's skin exposed could put her out of commission for days. She supposes she should be more concerned about how he managed to climb the stairs without further spraining his ankle, but in the current moment, it's the least of her worries.  _Can he not tell time?_  The girls' turn doesn't end for another 35 minutes.

A pained and muffled, "Ow," is heard from the opposite end.

"Rex!" Nia barks, cheeks turning scarlet. "What on Alrest are you  _doing_?"

"Uh, hand?" he pleads, referring to his right hand, which was unfortunately caught in the door when Nia closed it forcefully. It seems he'd been aiming to do the same after realizing the awkwardness of the moment, but was beaten to it. She sighs heavily and opens the door ever so slightly, allowing just enough room for Rex to salvage his arm. He pulls it back hastily, and the door is shut yet again.

"R-right, uh… I'll just...c-come back later then."

"Wait." The healer hisses through the door. "You weren't staring, were you?"

On his side, Rex nearly loses his balance in shock at the unexpected question. It takes him a few seconds to recover, albeit with an intense blush. He inches closer to the door, as if to make his response more clear.

"N-no, I promise I wasn't!" the flustered teen insists.

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes! I swear!" he continues, covering his face, despite there being nothing to hide from.

Meanwhile, Mòrag and Brighid are silently watching the scene unfold with mild interest, all while wondering if one of them should step in to diffuse the situation.

"Lady Mòrag."

The Flamebringer doesn't turn her gaze. "I think it's for the best that we don't intervene."

The blue flame Blade nods. "Of course." She shuffles close to her Driver. "It's rather amusing, though, isn't it? How they behave around each other. It's almost as if..."

"Brighid?"

She shakes her head. "Forgive me, Lady Morag. I lost myself for a moment. It's just...they remind me of us, in a way."

"How do you mean?"

"Both are so young and ignorant. In the back of their mind, they know something is happening, but neither know how to test those unfamiliar waters."

"You would call those two ignorant?"

Brighid chuckles. "Well, that's not exactly what I meant. I suppose...inexperienced is the word I was looking for."

Mòrag hums. "I see."

The Blade places a hand on her Driver's and interlocks their fingers. "I guess I'm just thankful. Thankful that we tested those waters ourselves."

The Special Inquisitor smiles. "As am I, Brighid."

Silence fills the space between them as they resume their observation of the show currently unfolding a few feet away. It seems they missed a vital piece of the conversation via door during their small moment.

"...back to your room and wait for me," Nia finishes, beginning to separate from the door before hurriedly turning back to throw in an impatient, "And you better be dressed!"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" is heard from the opposite side.

"Good!"

And with that, the flustered Gormotti finally faces the other two women, shaking her head to try and forget what just happened as she sits on the edge of the bath and allows her feet to dip in the water. She feels a little sorry for Rex after hearing him out; what happened just now could have hardly been helped, considering why he was up here in the first place. Apparently he fell asleep earlier, but overestimated how long ago that was upon waking up. He was on his way to bathe in the hot spring himself, under the assumption that the three of them had left by now, but was soon proven wrong by none other than Nia.

The healer sighs; in all honesty, Rex deserves a break. Especially considering everything he's had to deal with this past month ever since...ever since losing Pyra and Mythra. She's been trying her best to be there for him, but sometimes she feels like her efforts aren't enough. And the fact that she's letting his Lexos-induced injuries heal traditionally doesn't help. She was only going to meet him later to tell him about the invitation and to apologize for just now, but she decides that she should probably heal the rest of his wounds while she's at it. He's suffered enough, and she's sure that by now he's understood that trying to take on a powerful monster alone is a bad idea.

With this in mind, she stands, making sure to give Mòrag and Brighid a final wave before taking her leave for real this time, although hesitating before sliding the door open. She remains silent as she does this, and neither Ardanian chooses to question her wordless exit.

* * *

There are some moments that Rex wishes he could just forget. Whether it be because certain memories are just too painful to think about, or if they were just unbearably embarrassing when they happened, sometimes the mere thought of them makes him want to disappear from the world for a while. Like a Blade, reverting back to its Core Crystal; slowly dissolving into nothing while they're stripped of all their memories, one by one.

...Okay, maybe not quite to that extent, but the desire to isolate himself is still there.

Regardless, he can't take his mind off the incident of five minutes ago. He's had a handful of awkward encounters with Pyra and Mythra (the latter having caused the worst one of them all back in Argentum), but he quickly decides that his most recent...happening with Nia definitely deserves to be placed at the top of the list.

The image of her crosses his mind again. The moisture that enveloped the air made her skin glisten in the fading sunlight, and the way she looked at him with her fiery honey-colored eyes...and told him to  _wait for her_ …

 _No, stop! Bad Rex!_  He shakes his head and slaps himself repeatedly, his face heating up a considerable amount in the process.  _He's reading way too much into this, titan's foot._  He needs to calm down and just breathe for a minute, because overthinking clearly isn't going to lead him anywhere desirable.

The salvager sighs heavily and flops backward on his bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. He can't shake the thought that maybe Nia might be on her way to yell at him again, considering that they'll be alone now. What else would she want with him? Unless...

_Architect, enough of that! Get a grip, already!_

"Rex?"

"Agh—!" Rex somehow manages to yell and gasp at the same time as he nearly falls off the bed in surprise because  _Architect, she's fast, it's barely been ten minutes—_

Nia interrupts him before he can mentally ramble any further by knocking, as if to make absolutely sure that he's aware of her presence before slowly cracking the door open. She stops when her eyes land on the boy in front of her.

"Er...are you okay?"

Rex only groans, partly in frustration, and partly because the stubborn gash on his side decided it was tired of being ignored and very painfully made itself known when he jumped. He rolls over and sits up to look at his visitor properly, muttering a sharp "Ow," under his breath as he does so.

The Gormotti in the doorway takes that as an invitation to enter. She leans against the door with her arms folded and avoids eye contact.

"Listen, uh...I'm sorry about earlier. I guess I just—overreacted." She glances over at him. "Is your hand okay?"

Rex courses a hand through his hair sheepishly. "Y-yeah. I mean, it's not your fault… I-I should have been more careful."

"But I still could have handled that way better," Nia counters. "Just take the apology, okay? That's not the only reason why I'm here, ya know."

The brunette falters. "Oh...uh, okay?"

At that, the healer moves from the door and approaches him. "I think I owe you something," she begins. "And I'm sure you've learned your lesson by now. So…"

The teen's only response is to blink and quirk an eyebrow in confusion; Nia's been quite unpredictable lately, so now he doesn't know what to expect from her anymore.

His unspoken question is answered seconds later. Nia's appearance changes, so that it is no longer that of a Driver, but now a Blade. Her chin-length silver hair now falls past her knees, and the casual outfit she was wearing before is replaced by the flowy elegance of her Flesh Eater apparel. She looks down at him with a smirk. "I suppose it can't hurt to finally get those injuries taken care of."

To say that Rex is grateful is an understatement. Even still, he decides to have a little fun.

"Oh, I see how it is," he scoffs sarcastically. "If I'd known you were gonna finish the job eventually, I wouldn't have complained as much."

Nia kneels, intending to start with Rex's twisted ankle. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Do you want me to heal you or not? If my help isn't welcome, I can just leave."

He knows she's kidding. He's gotten used to the friendly banter that's almost normal between them, and as a result, he knows when a certain situation needs a little levity. He laughs, having gotten what he was looking for.

"No, really. Thanks, Nia. I know I say it a lot, but I mean it. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

The Flesh Eater's ears twitch and she switches her attention to him momentarily. She beams, her cheeks coloring a light pink. "Don't mention it." Then she returns to her current task. Hands out in front of her, she concentrates her power and focuses on on what she does best: healing. She doesn't get very far before Rex flinches and recoils, causing her to put her work on hold. She casts him a glance.

"Something wrong?"

"It feels...different," he comments, knitting his eyebrows.

"Does it hurt?"

The young teen shakes his head. "It's not painful, it's just...a little weird, that's all. I guess it's because we allowed it to start healing naturally before now."

Nia hums in understanding, then continues. "So, about the memorial," she says, changing the subject. "Mòrag told me that Emperor Niall is planning to hold a formal reception at the palace to celebrate once it's finished. It'll be this big, expensive ball, with guests coming from all over. She invited us to go, and everyone else is going to be there too."

Rex perks up in interest. "That's awesome! It'll be great to see Zeke and Tora again. Pandoria and Poppi, too."

"Mmhm."

"Although...I can't exactly dance." he admits, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "I've never been to an event like this before."

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure we can find someone to teach you."

"Nia...you can dance, can't you? Why don't you teach me?"

The girl in question stops at the salvager's request. He's not wrong; there isn't any reason why she  _can't_  be the one to show him the ropes. It's just...she's not sure if she'd be able to control herself if they were barely inches apart. And  _dancing_ , no less. In addition, she feels like she wouldn't be the best teacher. The role just doesn't seem to fit her.

She chuckles nervously. "Well, I  _could_...but I'm really not the best person to ask. Brighid probably knows more than me anyway; you should ask her."

The brunette nods. "Alright, if you say so. By the way...I'm guessing you've been to a ball before, right? What are they like?"

The Gormotti finishes healing his ankle and stands, silently prompting him to try using it. She waits for him to test it while standing before answering.

"Well, they're really decorative. Lots of thought goes into making everything look as grand as possible. And everyone is dressed formally; you know, fancy gowns and the like. Pretty much everything about them demands a ton of money. Most people who attend them are either really wealthy, or have some kind of high position." Her expression softens. "I went to quite a few of them years ago. My sister and I used to dance together all the time. I remember how happy she always looked…"

Rex is taken aback. "Oh, er...sorry. For bringing it up, I mean." He returns to his spot on the edge of the bed.

Nia joins him, intent on taking care of the large slash across his torso. "No, it's fine. Those were happy memories. I don't mind talking about her."

"Oh...okay."

Silence settles between them as she begins unbandaging the wound, having to constantly move Rex's t-shirt out of the way as she does so. The boy in question takes notice of this.

"...I can take it off, you know."

"N-no, it's fine," the healer answers hastily. She ignores the blush on her face. "Just—just hold it in place."

Rex complies wordlessly, choosing not to question Nia's reasoning. He simply watches her work her literal magic, all while trying not to focus too much on the strange feeling in his right side as his skin slowly repairs itself. Soon enough, however, he finds something else to talk about as he studies Nia's current appearance.

"You know...I kinda missed seeing your Blade form. I almost forgot how cool it looked. Especially the hair."

Nia has to resist the urge to squeal in delight at the compliment. She keeps a straight face and attempts to give as collected an answer as possible.

"Oh, r-really?"

"Yeah," he continues, seemingly oblivious.  _Thank the Architect Rex doesn't notice her stuttering_. "I thought it looked odd at first, but I think it really suits you. Not that you don't look good in your Driver form, or anything. I'm just saying."

The Flesh Eater smiles. "Well, thanks, Rex."

"No problem." the salvager replies, returning the look. The two of them are quiet until Nia finally finishes healing what used to be a wide laceration that stretched from below Rex's chest down to his right side. Now it's a mere scar, and the sight of it only deepens Nia's guilt for not taking care of it earlier. She knows what Rex would say if she ever verbalized this: " _Don't worry about it. It's all in the past. Why try to fix something you have no control over? We already agreed that no one was really to blame, so don't beat yourself up over it."_

At least, that's what she  _thinks_  he would say. He's said a number of unexpected things ever since Rebirth, so at this point she doesn't know. Regardless, she chooses not to say anything. The massive scar isn't pretty, but she concludes that it's better than nothing. Hopefully it will diminish with time.

That said, she can't help brushing her fingers against the marred tissue with wistful eyes, something that Rex doesn't comment on. He assumes that she's probably checking it over, one last time. When she finally pulls her hands away is when the young teen speaks up again.

"Well? How does it look?" he inquires.

The Gormotti sighs and stands. "It's not perfect...but…"

At that, Rex decides to examine it himself. Having a healthy ankle now, he stands with ease and makes his way to a nearby mirror, removing his t-shirt as he does so. Nia actively tries not to stare while the boy in question checks her handiwork in his reflection. "I tried my best." she mumbles from behind him, hoping he's not too upset with how it turned out.

To her relief, he smiles in satisfaction and turns to give her a thumbs-up. "I've been through worse," he says reassuringly, before donning his t-shirt once again. "Don't worry about it."

Having done everything she needed to here, the healer heads for the door, intent on maybe getting something to drink before turning in for the night. She opens it and reverts back to her Driver form.

"Alright, I'm gonna get a cup of tea before bed. Is there anything else you need?"

"Wait!" the brunette interjects, quickly joining her by the doorway. "I'll get something for both of us," he offers eagerly.

Nia blinks. "Uh, that's fine. I can do that myself; you don't have to-"

"Come on, Nia," he cuts her off before she can finish. "I have a working leg again, at least let me use it."

"O...kay?" She raises a brow in confusion.

"Awesome; don't go anywhere."

And with that, he leaves, darting down the hall with a newfound spring in his step. She supposes some guilt from what happened earlier is fueling a bit of that enthusiasm. In all honesty, Nia herself isn't quite over it, but she shakes the thought of it and retreats back inside.

The first thing to catch her attention is her reflection in the mirror as she enters. She approaches it slowly, remembering what Rex said about her earlier. She switches to her Blade form, just for a few seconds, before switching back. She takes a piece of her platinum hair between her fingers, trying to imagine what it would look like a few inches longer. If Rex liked her hair in her Blade form that much, it wouldn't be a problem to look like that all the time, but the truth is, she just prefers her Driver form.

Normally, she'd never allow her hair to grow out; she likes it easy to manage. As a Driver, it's short and the ribbons in it keep it out of her face, and as a Blade it's simply tied up, but she had no control over that. Sure, she knows it's stupid to alter her hairstyle just because of some off-hand comment that Rex made about it, but truthfully, it might be good for her. Things are changing in Alrest, and with the two of them as well. Nia's already decided she was going to turn over a new leaf and be the best friend she can be for Rex, and with how different things are, maybe a fresh start is overdue. Perhaps she'll take a bold step forward and use her Blade form more often; she certainly doesn't have to worry about Indol hunting her down anymore.

But, maybe one day...she and Rex…

"I'm back, Nia."

The Flesh Eater stops and turns away from the mirror swiftly.  _No, that's ridiculous._

Because if anything, she doesn't deserve to be with Rex. This is as good as it's going to get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all Alastair wanted to send a little message to you guys so here it is
> 
> "Hey Readers. So I'm AlastairJW, or y'know, just Alastair. So I found Architect's fic [on FanFiction] a ways back, really enjoyed it and left a review. After that, they messaged me saying thank you and mentioned they'd never really written anything like this before and were open to suggestions.
> 
> Ha ha.
> 
> You fool.
> 
> So that's kinda how I came to be Arc's editor/co-writer/nitpicking little sh*t. It's still weird if I'm being honest. Not in a bad way mind, just in how it suddenly became a thing. But I've enjoyed myself, both with helping with the story and chatting with Arc. They're a lovely person by the by. Don't really have much else to add, other than I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as well as the fic so far in general! Take easy~.
> 
> Oh! P.S. I want you all to picture the escape from the World Tree at the end of XC2, except with "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen playing as #TeamAegis sans Pyra/Mythra/Pneuma falls from the sky. I'm not sorry."
> 
> ((It's better if you wait until she approaches Aion and says "Hello there. I hope you'll help me."))  
> I'M ENRAGED AT HOW WELL IT FITS


	6. Dilemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The salvager is wordless for a few more seconds before answering. “...It’s not fair,” he finally mutters.
> 
> “Huh?”
> 
> Rex stands, coursing a hand through his hair. “I mean, you’ve been looking out for me ever since Rebirth. You’ve done me more favors than I can count, and I just…” He closes his eyes and huffs in frustration, pausing momentarily while Nia rises to her feet. “You’ve done everything you can to take care of me...but when’s the last time you took care of yourself?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be Real for two seconds here
> 
> Before we dive into the chapter, I wanna thank my lovely editor Alastair, for his invaluable input, and Tbat, for his life-saving proofreading powers. I've recently started sending my stuff to Tbat for some last-minute reader opinions before I publish things, and I'm happy to say that it's helped a lot. Thank you so so much, you two. You truly have no idea how much you mean to me, seriously.
> 
> And while I'm thanking people, I want to thank you, the readers, for taking time out of your day to read something that originally started as an experiment of sorts for my multishipping hobby. I know it's not easy to wait multiple weeks for stuff to update, so I'm incredibly thankful that you guys have stuck around and not tried to kill me for being late with stuff. *Glances nervously at chapter 5*
> 
> That's about all I gotta say. Hope you enjoy the chapter :V

It was no surprise to Brighid when she learned that Rex was...less than skilled when it came to dancing, but she didn't think he'd be  _this_  awkward. Of course, she was more than happy to help at the boy's request, but what he lacked in elegance was alarming nonetheless.

After informing her Driver, it was arranged that she would board a ship to Fonsett twice a week. With the titans fusing with the mainland of Elysium, travel expenses decreased significantly, due to there being less distance between the different titans. Mòrag isn't able to join her of course; she has too many demanding responsibilities as Special Inquisitor. That said, she does show interest in what Brighid has to say upon returning home after each lesson. She seems to find the retelling of certain events rather amusing, and sometimes she'll even ask the Blade to deliver a message from her the next time she departs. All-in-all, Brighid has found it to be a rather fun experience so far, and she makes sure to record any memorable moments in her journal when she gets the chance.

Today's lesson is taking place outside, due to the summer heat being less intense over the last few days. It's fairly late in the afternoon as Rex insisted on waiting to start these lessons until he finishes work for the day. This is the fourth lesson so far, and the salvager's progress has been a little slow, to say the least. Nia and Dromarch are sitting nearby to watch, the former calmly stroking the Blade's fur.

"Alright, let's try it from the top," Brighid instructs, and she and Rex begin the routine that they've been working on for the past hour once again. Nia leans forward in concentration, paying attention to every move. While they practice, she notices a certain emptiness in Rex's eyes, like he lacks any energy. His moves are stiff, and he lacks his usual determination. It seems as if he's just going with the motions; trying just hard enough to get him through the lesson.

The Flesh Eater inches ahead slightly and squints in an attempt to get a closer look at the boy. He looks...deep in thought. His body is here, but his mind is somewhere else. Despite this, the dance appears to be going well, until they reach a certain step, where Rex stumbles and fails to get the correct footing. The healer sighs in slight disappointment, but she's hardly surprised. Not once has Rex managed to get through the routine without slipping up somewhere. Nia supposes his lack of focus is a result of his indifference, but the only way to know would be to ask.

"...I wonder what he's thinking about," she mutters to herself.

Her Blade turns his head to face her. "My lady?"

"Nothing," She shakes her head. "Just thinking out loud, that's all."

At that, Nia redirects her attention back to Rex and Brighid.

"And that makes ten," the Gormotti announces, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Seriously, how many times is it gonna take for you to get it right?"

"H-hey! I'm trying my best, alright?" Rex retorts, regaining his posture. "If  _you're_  so good at this, then why don't you get up here?"

"Fine, fine, whatever." Nia puts her strokes through Dromarch's fur on hold as she stands and dusts herself off. "If you insist."

"Actually Nia..." Brighid starts, taking a few steps from Rex. "Perhaps you would be a better dance partner than I. I'm afraid these recurring mishaps are due to an inconsistency in height."

"Oi, are you callin' me short?"

"I think she's calling both of us short, Nia." The brunette deadpans.

The blue flame Blade chuckles. "I'll leave you to it, then."

And with that, Nia takes Rex's hand, getting into position, and ignoring the blush crawling up her neck. She notices a tint of red has coated his cheeks as well, but she doesn't think it's because of  _her_. Rex is awkward around girls in general; surely being that close to someone as attractive as Brighid would make him blush. Hell, just having his hand held by Fan la Norne caused his face to heat up.

Regardless, they begin the routine, giving her more time to make some other observations concerning Rex's appearance. The first thing to catch her eye is that his are no longer level with hers. He's gotten a bit taller since Rebirth, though he's far from towering over her. Still, it's strange to think that she's shorter than him now, after besting him by an inch for the longest time.

Not that it's a  _bad_  thing... At least now she can look up at him.

...Which doesn't matter in the end. They're only friends. The Gormotti sighs; it's been well over a month since Rebirth, and yet she still can't get her head out of the clouds. Or rather, she can't get the  _rest of her head_  out of the clouds. The majority of her brain functions just fine, but there's one part of it that refuses to let her think properly and make rational decisions. The part that houses her overwhelming feelings for the salvager.

And unfortunately, being Rex's temporary dance partner is only making it an even  _bigger_  inconvenience.  _This_...this is exactly why she didn't want to be the one to teach Rex how to dance. To avoid...whatever this is. It's too much for her racing heart to handle right now. Nia's ears twitch in a mix of frustration and nervousness as she tries to look at anything that isn't Rex's golden eyes. And yet, she keeps finding herself drawn back to them. After a few seconds, she eventually gives up trying to get herself under control and decides to just roll with the situation. She's obviously powerless; trying to resist is only going to make things more of an emotional hell for her.

So, she decides to satisfy her curiosity from earlier. The Flesh Eater's ears twitch again, this time with a sense of intrigue as she makes eye contact with Rex.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" she asks, turning her head to the side slightly.

"Huh?" The brunette blinks. "...Oh. It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

She knits her eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

Rex shifts his eyes uncomfortably. "Look, I want to tell you. Especially because it's something you should know. But now…" He glances at Brighid, then at Dromarch. "...Now really isn't the time. Can we talk about this later?"

Nia's ears perk up in surprise. This is the first time Rex has chosen to tell her something without her asking first. It's good to see that he's the one taking the first step instead of her, although it seems his timing is a bit off.

Then again, if something came up fairly recently, he would have been too busy with work to bring it up with her anyway.

She smiles and gives a small nod. "Of course."

They dance the rest of what Rex has learned of the routine in silence. When they finish, it's like the world stops, just for a moment. Their eyes are locked, and they don't break apart for several seconds. It's as if they can't bring themselves to move, but Brighid pulls them back into reality with her soft claps as she approaches, causing them to pull away from each other.

"A wonderful performance, you two. Rex, I'm impressed that you managed to keep your footing. I noticed some mistakes, but that is to be expected. You still have a long way to go, after all. What's important is that you didn't lose your balance."

Rex hesitates in turning to face the Blade. There's an itching feeling in his fingers from where he and Nia's hands were joined. He almost wishes that moment could have lasted just a bit longer. Something about that just felt...natural, for whatever reason.

He curls and uncurls his fingers briefly. "Uh, thanks. I...didn't even notice," he says nonchalantly, doing his best not to think too much about the strange feeling. "Is that it for today?"

The Jewel of Mor Ardain nods. "Yes, that will be all. You've been working hard lately, so I think we'll end today's lesson a little early."

"Alright, thanks. I'll meet you guys inside for dinner; I'm gonna go on a walk first." He turns to the Gormotti. "Nia, would you mind tagging along?"

The healer gives a short nod in response. "Sure, I'll come with."

They each share a look of mutual understanding, like they're the only ones who know a secret, or an inside joke, and Rex suddenly feels lightheaded. He shakes his head and starts walking, Nia following close behind.

Once the pair is out of earshot, Brighid joins Dromarch in his spot under a tree. She gazes out at the sunset thoughtfully.

"Something happened," she states after a few minutes of silence. "Rex was not himself today. Did you notice?"

The beast Blade nods. "He's been lacking his usual energy for the last few days. Or rather, what is usual considering the circumstances."

Brighid hums. "I chose not to say anything. I knew it would catch Nia's attention."

"Is that why you suggested he dance with my lady instead?"

"That whole thing about height differences was false, yes," the fire Blade explains. "I didn't feel it was my place to question Rex's behavior. He and Nia have been getting closer as of late; it would be better if she were the one he opened up to about his troubles instead of me."

A minute passes. Dromarch closes his eyes for a moment in thought. "A wise decision," he comments at last.

Brighid only nods in response, and for a moment, both Blades are content to watch the sun descend behind the horizon, though it is only a matter of time until Corinne will call them in for dinner and Brighid will have to head back to Mor Ardain afterwards.

* * *

As the teens set out on their walk, there's a thick silence that fills the air. Rex wrings his hands, considering how he should start the conversation. After a few minutes, nothing particularly smart comes to mind, so he decides to just be blunt with Nia.

"So, uh..." he begins, stopping in his tracks and turning to face the Flesh Eater. He opens his mouth to speak again, but is cut off by the distant calls of one of the village kids.

"Hey! Big bro! Over here!"

The salvager looks in the direction of the voice. Kazuna is energetically waving at him from the fountain, wearing a lively smile. Sitting beside her are Kirk and Hazel, who are doing the same, the former holding a sketchpad in his lap.

"Oh, uh...hey!" Rex calls back, before swearing under his breath. Kazuna's timing couldn't have been more inconvenient. He could just tell the young girl that he's busy and keep walking, but his soft spot for the kids won't let him, so he reluctantly makes his way towards them, putting on his best fake smile. Nia doesn't join him, instead choosing to hang back and patiently wait.

"Are you okay, Rex?" Hazel greets upon his approach. "I heard about the monster attack a few weeks ago. You got beat up pretty bad, huh?"

The young teen nods. "Yeah, but I'm alright now." He turns back to Nia with a smile. "Thankfully, I had some friends show up to help. And if it wasn't for Nia, I might still be busted up."

"Awww, that's so nice!"

At this, the healer sighs and shakes her head, deciding to join Rex and the kids for now.

Kazuna grins. "So, is she like, your new girlfriend?"

"What?!" Rex runs a hand through his hair, cheeks coloring. "Uh...n-no. We're just friends."

"He's blushing!" Kirk points out. "That means he likes her!"

The brunette takes a step back, face heating up further. "Um… W-well, I—uh…"

"Oh, knock it off, you three!" Nia steps in, defending the helpless boy next to her. "Don't you kids have anything to do?"

"Not really," Kazuna shrugs. "It's summer, so that means there's no school."

Hazel stands and stretches. "Yeah, it can get pretty boring around here…"

"What about you, Kirk?" The Flesh Eater inquires.

The young boy looks up from his sketchpad. "Oh, I was drawing something earlier. Although I don't have my reference anymore…"

"Oh?" Rex speaks up, having finally recovered from the fatal blow. "What happened?"

"Well...they kind of, er...moved." Kirk explains. With that, he holds up his sketchpad for Rex and Nia to see.

There are two figures, drawn messily, but skillfully, on the paper. One of them has spiked, messy hair, and the other has two cat-like ears on their head. With the pose they're in, they appear to be dancing.

Nia's eyes widen in realization. "Is this...us?"

The young artist nods. "Mm-hm. You two looked really cool. I just had to capture it on paper."

"It's...wow. It looks really good," Rex comments, a light pink dusting his cheeks. "Uh, sorry for moving." He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, sorry about that." The Gormotti adds, mirroring his blush. "Well, anyway..." She begins, the color in her cheeks gone as soon as it came. "Rex and I have some important things to do. We'll see you three later."

The kids nod in understanding, allowing the two teens to take their leave and begin walking again. Neither chooses to speak up for the next few minutes. Additionally, Rex returns to his fidgeting while they walk, having forgotten how he was going to start this conversation.

Eventually they find themselves at Messet Point, where they each take a seat on the precipice. Nia saves Rex the trouble of starting the conversation and speaks first, gazing out over the endless sea that surrounds Elysium.

"...Did something happen?"

The salvager shrugs. "...Kind of. I had a dream a couple nights ago."

"Oh? What about?"

"Well...I saw Pyra again."

"Again?"

The teen sighs. "This isn't the first time I've had a dream like this. I used to have them pretty often; sometimes I would even lose sleep."

Nia remembers those first few days after Rebirth. "Is that why you look so tired sometimes?"

The brunette nods. "...Yeah. It is." He pauses before continuing. "I didn't say anything because...because I didn't want to worry you. There were enough things to be concerned about. I didn't think it was that important, so I never brought it up." He brings a hand to his chest, tracing the scar left by Jin's sword sub-consciously.

The Gormotti closes her eyes for a minute in thought. After a moment, she opens her eyes once again.

"I...don't know if I can help you." she admits, directing her gaze downward.

"It's fine," Rex reassures her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're already helping. I'm already feeling better; just being able to talk to you has helped a lot. It's actually been on my mind for a while now."

Nia blinks in surprise before responding. "...Oh. Well, I'm glad you told me. Even though you didn't have to."

"No, it was something you should know anyway. Pyra and Mythra were important to both of us, so if it concerns me, it concerns you too."

The healer hums for a moment, considering something. "Well, in that case… I guess it's worth mentioning that I've had dreams about Pyra myself."

"R...really?"

She nods. "Mm-hm. I miss her a lot, y'know. I know I act like I've moved on, but...the truth is, I was just trying to be strong. For you." She pauses before continuing. "And, you should know that it's okay to think about her sometimes. No one—not even me—is expecting you to forget about her or anything. Okay?"

Rex gives a low hum in response, and Nia takes that as an invitation to go on.

"I can keep you company if your nightmares aren't letting you sleep," she offers. "I don't mind if you wake me up."

"No, that's fine," Rex declines almost immediately. "I don't want to bother you."

Nia sighs. "If you say so."

Silence hangs in the air, as Rex doesn't speak after that. He turns away for a moment, thinking. Nia doesn't question this at first, but when several minutes pass and the boy is still silent, she places a hand on his shoulder, ears flicking with concern.

"Rex?"

The salvager is wordless for a few more seconds before answering. "...It's not fair," he finally mutters.

"Huh?"

Rex stands, coursing a hand through his hair. "I mean, you've been looking out for me ever since Rebirth. You've done me more favors than I can count, and I just…" He closes his eyes and huffs in frustration, pausing momentarily while Nia rises to her feet. "You've done everything you can to take care of me...but when's the last time you took care of yourself?"

The Flesh Eater takes a step back in shock. Of all the things for Rex to be upset about, she never expected this. "Rex, I…"

"I'll do anything," the brunette interrupts her, finally turning to look her in the eye. "Anything you ask. I just...want to return the favor somehow. I think you deserve it."

Nia hesitates in giving a proper response. As much as she wants to be modest and shrug it off, Rex has a point. She's been so occupied with worrying about Rex's well-being, that she honestly doesn't know what to do with  _herself_. She hasn't given herself time to think about what she wants, aside from deciding to settle in Fonsett, so she has no idea what Rex could even do for her.

 _...Well, he could start by being less easy to fall in love with, but Architect knows that's bloody impossible_.

That said, there's nothing she really desires right now. At least, nothing that Rex could do for her. She sighs and averts her eyes for a few seconds.

"That's… Thanks, Rex. I...don't exactly have anything right now, though. D'you mind if I think about it?"

The brunette nods enthusiastically. "Sure. Take your time."

With that, the Gormotti gives Rex a grateful smile, and he suddenly feels lightheaded again. It becomes hard to focus, but he does his best to register what Nia is telling him now. Is she...heading inside now?  _Yes, she's waving at him._  He frantically tries to put together something to say in return.

"I—er, yeah! I'll catch up in a bit."

_Nailed it._

Rex watches Nia make her way back to the house, and the dizziness slowly subsides. He caps a hand over his chest, and discovers that his heart rate has picked up as well.  _Why does he feel like this? Is he sick or something?_

He shakes his head. He's probably just tired; dinner and a good night's rest will do him good.

With that in mind, the young teen starts on his way back, hoping that things will get better from here, but only time will tell.

* * *

Rex's ability to sleep is replaced by a feeling of restlessness. He glances out the window at the night sky, the bright colors of an aurora painting it like a canvas. After a few minutes, he concludes that he won't be going back to sleep anytime soon, and resolves to head downstairs to clear his mind a bit.

The last thing he expected was to find a certain Gormotti girl in the kitchen, putting together a rather odd-looking midnight snack. He thinks it's supposed to resemble a sort of fish sandwich, but he's not sure if he wants to find out. He decides to simply eye it questioningly as he steps into the kitchen.

Nia rolls her eyes playfully while he does this. "It tastes better than it looks," she says, smirking. "Maybe I'll make it for you sometime."

Rex crosses his arms and leans against the counter. "I'm good, thanks," he snorts, mimicking the Flesh Eater's expression.

She giggles softly, and silence falls as she completes the construction on her dubious sandwich.

"So...can't sleep?" She guesses, taking a bite.

"Yeah…" Rex admits. "It wasn't a dream, though. I just feel kinda...uneasy." He traces the scar on his chest. "There's nothing wrong...I don't think. It's just hard to sleep, I guess."

The healer hums. "Go on."

"Well, I wasn't expecting to find you here. But…" He pauses, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm glad I did. Talking with you always helps."

Nia swallows another bite of her sandwich. Her ears twitch and she averts her eyes bashfully at the praise, her cheeks turning pink briefly.

"Um… Thanks, I guess. I mean—" She shakes her head, smiling warmly. "Someone's gotta keep you in check. Might as well be me."

The salvager chuckles softly. "Yeah, I guess so."

There's a beat of silence while the Gormotti finishes her bizarre meal. When the last bite is gone, she begins returning the ingredients to their respective places, and eventually turns to Rex.

"Why don't we go outside and get some fresh air? It might help clear your head a little."

The brunette considers this for a moment. "...You know I don't want you to do me any more unnecessary favors…"

Nia sighs. "Well, there's an aurora in the sky tonight. Why don't we go stargazing or something?"

"..."

"Plus, my shoulders are pretty tired from doing work in the garden, and I haven't gone stargazing in a long time. It's been a while since I've had a real opportunity to relax."

Rex contemplates the healer's request. "You want to...go  _stargazing_?"

"Come on, Rex," Nia implores, makes eye contact. "You did say you'd do anything, right?"

The boy in question hesitates for a moment. She's right; he did promise to do whatever she wanted. Still, he expected her to have something more...meaningful in mind. He runs a hand through his hair before sighing defeatedly. "...Yeah, I did." He glances toward the door reluctantly. "Let's go."

Having reached a compromise, they each slip on a pair of sandals and step outside, where they are greeted with a warm summer breeze. Nia takes a deep breath and looks to the star-filled sky, absorbing the beautiful atmosphere like a sponge. After a moment, she turns to Rex with a smile, which melts into a smirk in seconds.

"Race ya to Messet Point," she challenges, a sparkle in her eyes that was not present a minute earlier.

Rex opens his mouth to respond, but the Flesh Eater doesn't allow him time to, as she dashes off without much of a warning. He stands there for a few seconds, speechless. As he watches Nia disappear around the house, he can't help but wonder why she's so...lively all of a sudden.  _Perhaps it's the aurora?_

He sighs resignedly, deciding there's nothing more he can do, and takes off after his friend.

Nia is waiting for him on the cliff, sitting cross-legged with her sandals cast aside. Her gaze is directed up at the colorful spectacle in the atmosphere, and she doesn't acknowledge him until he takes a seat next to her, leaning back on his hands.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," The young teen takes a moment to catch his breath. "Haven't seen one of these in a long time."

"Did you ever do this as a kid? Just stay up and watch the stars?"

Rex chuckles. "Sometimes, if Gramps ever let me stay up that late. He eventually backed off as I got older though."

The Gormotti falls backward with her hands behind her head. "Sounds like you and him had some good times."

"Uh-huh. As much as I complained about it, it was actually fun. Living on his back for all those years…"

"Dromarch and I used to stargaze all the time, back when we were wandering. But before that, my sister and I used to stay up really late, just to watch the moon rise."

The salvager turns to Nia. "What was your sister like?" he asks, but immediately stops himself from saying anything more. "Er, I mean—sorry."

Nia sits up again. "It's fine. I don't mind telling you."

"Oh… I-if you say so."

The healer turns toward the sky once again. "She was really sweet... A little shy, but I guess that's because I was always trying to protect her from everything."

Rex nods, indicating he's listening.

Nia smiles fondly. "...We did everything together. Dancing at the local gatherings, climbing trees…" She glances at him while gesturing to the sky. " _Stargazing_." Her ears flicker. "She used to have a small garden she would tend to. Flowers. She and I would make crowns out of them and take naps in the sun. They were the only things that separated us from real princesses, she said."

The brunette absentmindedly plucks a few blades of grass. "She sounds...really nice."

Nia nods. "Yeah…" She laughs softly. "My sister wasn't  _completely_  innocent though. She had a knack for causing a little mischief every once in a while."

The young teen places a hand on his chest, suddenly aware of his quickened heartbeat, which should have slowed after he sat down next to Nia.

The Flesh Eater continues, oblivious to his unease. "Trust me, you don't want to know about what happened at one of the annual harvest festivals in Torigoth. We'd be here for hours if I told you. And don't even get me started on-"

Nia's voice is drowned out by Rex's thoughts. Ever since he ran into Nia in the kitchen, he never managed to shake the nerves that he woke up with. He thought that speaking with her would put his restless mind at ease, but that unfortunately isn't the case. It seems that the knot in his stomach has only made itself more apparent to his subconscious, especially since they left the house.

He sighs quietly to himself and rests his chin on his hand, only to find that his face is warmer than it should be, even with the summer heat.  _Titan's foot...surely it's not that hot out here. There has to be something wrong with him._

Rex directs his attention towards the girl next to him, who's still rambling on about her beloved sister. He can't help but notice how well the light from the moon and the aurora compliments her features. Her soft skin practically glows, and the way her hair shimmers in the moonlight reminds him of a waterfall. Her eyes sparkle like the stars above, and Rex can only describe her as beautiful. Everything about Nia seems to paint a picture of charm and elegance. Her laugh, her eyes…

_Her smile…_

Rex feels his chest get tight. The sense of lightheadedness returns from before, and his face heats up even further.  _What is this?_

He looks back to Nia momentarily, which causes his stomach to do flips. His breath hitches, and he nervously rakes his fingers through his hair.

...Rex knows  _exactly_  what this is. He's felt like this before. Back in Gormott, when he and Pyra were sitting by the campfire…

And then…

He turns to Nia one last time.

_...Oh no._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh no" indeed, Rex. What will you do...?
> 
> [END OF ACT ONE]


	7. Now What?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out of everyone, Zeke and Pandoria are the most down-to-earth, so those two are really the only ones he can turn to.
> 
> Rex makes his way to the door.
> 
> Well, it can’t be that bad, can it?
> 
> Besides, Zeke knows his way around the minefield that is romance better than he does if he and Pandoria are together. Surely he would have some useful tips, right?
> 
> ...Right?
> 
> Rex certainly hopes so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slams hands on table*
> 
> GUESS WHO'S BACK FROM THE DEAD
> 
> I have no excuse. Motivation kept running away from me ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Rex had no idea that holding Nia in his arms would feel _so right_.

They’re so close together they can feel the other’s body heat, and the way she combs her fingers through his hair makes him never want to move. He holds her closer, and she eyes him with an intensity that causes him to melt as she plants gentle but meaningful kisses along his neck and collarbone. He returns the favor by locking lips with hers, and her grip on his neck tightens before her hands drop to his waist, and the air is so hot between them he feels like he’s on fire.

They pull away to catch their breath, but it’s not long before Nia draws him in for another kiss. Her delicate fingers make their way up his back, sending shivers up his spine, and he moves one hand to cup her cheek affectionately.

By the time they separate again, Nia has something to say, her arms hung lazily around his shoulders.

“Rex?” she whispers, almost too quiet to hear.

He hums in acknowledgement.

The Gormotti speaks again, but her words are drowned out by a loud knock, and just like that, Rex is no longer holding Nia in his arms. The image fades away quicker than a Blade dematerializes after losing their Driver, and something feels very _wrong_ all of a sudden.

“Rex!” someone calls, impatience in their voice.

Rex awakes with a start, cheeks flushed and breath quick, and hard knocks can be heard outside his room. He shakes his head, trying to figure out what that _was_ just now.

The voice calls his name again, and Rex realizes it’s Nia.

 _Nia._ The girl who was just in his arms and _kissing him_ not five seconds ago.

_What the hell?_

Before he has time to ponder anything, however, Nia pounds on the door again.

“Rex, are you awake? Breakfast is ready!”

Somehow just the sound of her voice is enough to make him blush. He shakes his head again, frantically trying to come up with a proper response.

“I—er, y-yeah! Just, uh...give me a minute!”

 _Architect, he’s a mess_.

The brunette sighs as he drags himself out of bed. He doesn’t have time to be dwelling on his newfound feelings for Nia; there are more important things to worry about.

Their scheduled trip to Uraya, for example. About a week ago, Rex had received a letter from Cole, explaining that he finished writing his play about Vandham—as per Rex’s request—and that rehearsals were going to be ending soon. He invited Rex and his friends to come to opening night, so Rex got in touch with Zeke, Mòrag, and Tora and asked them to meet him and Nia in Fonsa Myma. He knew Zeke and Mòrag never met Vandham, but he thought it was only right that they learn his story.

And so, Rex and Nia were making preparations to travel to Uraya.

Rex runs a hand through his hair lazily, taking a moment to glance into a nearby mirror. It’s been over two months since Rebirth, and Rex has spent the last three weeks feeling conflicted. Not long after meeting Pyra, he realized that he developed feelings for her. It was a little jarring, but he got used to it. As time went by, he never saw a reason to tell her how he felt, even after Zeke had endlessly ushered him to make a move.

And now Rex is falling in love with Nia, his best friend. In all honesty, he has no idea how he got here. All he knows is that it’s only a matter of time before Zeke steps in to pressure him into confessing.

 _Zeke_. As in, not Zeke von Genbu, but _Zeke von Genbu, Self-Proclaimed Love Expert._

Oh, and the Bringer of _Chaos_. Don’t forget that.

Rex wants to believe there’s someone else he can turn to for advice, but he comes up empty. His only other option is Auntie Corrine (and there’s no way he’s telling her, too embarrassing). Aside from that, Poppi’s too innocent to understand attraction, Tora is, well, _Tora_ , Mòrag and Brighid’s advice would be far too professional, Gramps would be merciless in his teasing, and Dromarch is too close to the “enemy”, so to speak.

Out of everyone, Zeke and Pandoria are the most down-to-earth, so those two are really the only ones he can turn to.

Rex makes his way to the door.

Well, it can’t be _that_ bad, can it?

Besides, Zeke knows his way around the minefield that is romance better than he does if he and Pandoria are together. Surely he would have _some_ useful tips, right?

...Right?

Rex certainly hopes so.

He sighs, finally stepping out of his room. It’s going to be a long day.

* * *

 By the time their Titan ship arrives in the Urayan capital, Zeke, Pandoria, Mòrag, and Brighid are already at the designated meeting place, the former pair waving enthusiastically upon noticing their approach. Tora and Poppi have yet to arrive, but it’s hardly an issue. It’s only a few minutes past noon, so they have some hours to kill until the show starts.

For now though, all they can do is wait for the rest of their party to join them.

Nia strokes Dromarch’s fur thoughtfully. “They’re late again… Poppi better not be having a malfunction or something.”

Rex shrugs dismissively. “I’m sure it’s fine. Hopefully it won’t be too long before they get here.”

As it turns out, he’s right. It’s only about half an hour more of waiting before Tora and Poppi finally appear around the corner, and as soon as everyone is reunited, they take some time to consider what to do while they wait for night to fall.

“Why don’t we visit the mercenaries in Garfont?” Rex suggests. “It’s been a while since we last saw them.”

Nia hums in agreement. “Didn’t Yew mention some new recruits in his last letter?”

The brunette nods. “Yeah, I think so. We should go introduce ourselves.”

“Forgive me for interrupting,” Brighid chimes in. “But who is Yew?”

“He’s one of the mercenaries in Garfont,” Rex explains. “He and Zuo were good friends of Vandham. Now, they’re in charge of protecting the village in his place.”

Mòrag adjusts her hat subconsciously. “By the way you spoke of Vandham, I’m sure these men are just as honorable. I look forward to meeting them.”

At this, Zeke and Pandoria nod simultaneously. “I agree with Mòrag,” the prince adds. “Heading down to this Garfont place sounds like a good idea.”

“Then it settled,” Tora cheers. “To Garfont!”

“To Garfont!” Poppi echoes, mimicking the pose of her Driver.

Rex smiles. This is what he’s been missing these past weeks. It’s nice to have everyone together again. He missed having Zeke and Pandoria around to keep things interesting, and having Mòrag and Brighid to keep everyone in line. He also missed Tora’s company; the two of them would bond over mechanics or working on repairs and upgrades for Poppi. With them gone, it’s been quiet and lonely with just him and Nia in the house, so he’s glad to be here.

 _He needed this_.

And for once, he doesn’t feel like it’s wrong not to have Pyra with them. She’s somewhere else now, and though it took a long time, it feels like he’s finally been able to accept that.

He checks his map. “Alright, everyone. We make our way to Garfont.”

* * *

 There are more villagers than Rex remembers. When they first came here, Garfont consisted of just a handful of families and other mercenaries. Now, the village is much more populated. There’s at least twice as many homes, and thanks to what seems like the work of a few Blades, there’s a lot more color and decor to brighten up the place.

Before the party has the chance to seek out Yew and Zuo, however, an energetic cry brings their attention to a group of Blades happily skipping towards them. The one in the lead is Kassandra, followed by Kora, Finch, Adenine, and Vale, each one eager to reunite with their respective Drivers.

“Rex!” Kassandra exclaims, bouncing with excitement. “You’re back! It’s been so long! I can’t believe it!”

“Yeah,” Rex confirms. “It has.”

Kora clings to Nia’s arm happily. “I’m like, so happy you guys are back. I was starting to think you’d totally forgotten about us.”

“Nah, we were just busy is all. Right Rex?”

The brunette nods and the two of them share a look. They both know “busy” is an understatement, but it’s all they can say for now.

Zeke pauses his conversation with Vale to clap Rex on the shoulder. “We’re here to see Yew and Zuo, right? Why don’t you take us to them?”

At this, Adenine chimes in. “Oh, those two are actually on a mission right now. They’ll be back in a few hours. Until then, they left us in charge.”

The salvager takes a glance around the village. “What about Roc? Is he here?”

Finch shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “Ross is also on a mission. He should be back soon, though.”

Mòrag nods. “Alright then. I suppose it won’t hurt to wait for them to return, granted it won’t make us late for the performance.”

“Yeah,” Rex agrees. “That sounds like a good idea. It’s a good time to catch up with the other Blades, as well.”

Kassandra bounces with excitement. “Awesome! It’ll be so nice to hang out with you guys again! You should tell us everything that’s happened since we last saw you!”

“That’s...a long story,” Nia chuckles, fidgeting with the ribbons in her hair. “You sure you want to hear it?”

“Absolutely!” Kora chimes in, her eyes dancing. “Tell us everything! I want to hear all the details!”

“Alright,” the Gormotti relents. “Let’s go find somewhere comfortable to sit. I don’t wanna stand while we’re doing this.”

Hearing this, Kassandra and Kora nod before happily leading their Drivers to an open area near the Waypoint Market, the rest of the party following behind. They take a moment to settle into a large circle, each Driver surrounded by their respective Blades.

“So,” Nia begins. “Who’s gonna start us off?”

Zeke stands for a moment to strike a pose. “I suppose I will,” he offers. “Seeing as how we were heading to Tantal before you Garfont Blades became permanent mercenaries here.” He sits down again. “So you see, our quest took us to the frozen kingdom of Tantal inside the Titan Genbu, so that we might obtain the Omega Fetter…”

And so, the storytelling begins. Each party member takes turns telling pieces of the epic chronicle, and soon enough, the minutes fade into a couple of hours. At some point, the story began to be dominated by Zeke, Rex, and Tora, so Nia had stepped away for a bit, and she now sits at Vargel Tavern, thinking to herself.

She takes a sip of her Fizzy Lassi. The ten weeks after Rebirth have been...eventful, to say the least. So much has changed, especially with Rex, but it seems like she’s stayed exactly the same. She’s still in love with him, despite her best efforts to pretend that she isn’t, and nothing in the last ten weeks have changed that. In fact, everything that’s happened—the funeral, the monster attack, traveling to Mor Ardain—hell, even going stargazing… It’s only magnified the way she feels about the salvager.

Part of her wants to blame Rex himself for that. His personality is so bright, _of course_ Nia would develop feelings for him. She knows that wouldn’t be fair, though. It’s not his fault that she fell for him, nor is it anyone else’s. All she can do is try her best to ignore her feelings, because pining is getting her nowhere.

_Still, though..._

How different would things be if Rex had fallen for her instead? Would he be as heartbroken over losing Pyra as he was? Perhaps he would have given a different response to her confession in the Spirit Crucible Elpys…

 _Oh, right._ The Spirit Crucible Elpys. Nia doesn’t even want to think about _that_.

The Flesh Eater turns and glances at the group, her honey-colored eyes settling on Rex. His eyes are dancing with enthusiasm, and it looks like he’s picked up some mannerisms from Zeke if the way he waves his arms about dramatically is any indication. He’s such a dork sometimes, and Nia finds that nothing short of endearing.

The healer sighs; she’s not doing herself any favors here. Every minute she spends thinking about how things could have been different only makes it hurt more. She knows she should just give up hope, but part of her wants to believe there’s a chance that Rex may fall in love with her eventually, as ridiculous as it sounds.

She shakes her head and returns to her lassi. “Heh, fat chance…”

“Fat chance of what?”

Nia shrieks in surprise at the sound of someone’s voice behind her. Her ears flatten and she hisses as she turns around, only to find Brighid and Pandoria.

“How long have you been standing there?” the Gormotti demands, her cheeks turning pink.

“Oh, long enough,” Pandoria teases, before Brighid nudges her forcefully.

“We came to check on you,” the flame Blade helpfully informs. “You seemed...pensive.”

At this, Nia sighs, thankful that it wasn’t someone like Zeke, or Architect forbid, Rex himself.

“I’m alright,” she answers. “I just needed some space to think about a few things.”

Brighid’s lips curl up in a small smile, like she knows something, and Nia suddenly remembers their conversation in Mor Ardain.

“It’s about Rex, isn’t it?”

The Flesh Eater blushes again, this time with more intensity, which tells Brighid that she guessed true. She laughs softly and takes a seat next to Nia, Pandoria following suit.

“Why don’t you tell us your thoughts?” Brighid suggests. “Perhaps we can help in some way.”

“Yeah,” Pandoria adds. “I promise I won’t tell my Prince.”

There’s a beat of hesitation before Nia finally concedes. “Alright,” she agrees, before taking a sip of her lassi. “I just can’t seem to get him out of my head…”

And so, Nia tells her fellow Blades about all the conflicting emotions that she’s been swimming in ever since Rebirth, making sure to include every detail, and they listen to every last word. Sometimes they nod thoughtfully or pat her on the shoulder for reassurance, but they never once interrupt her. Nia finds it to be a nice bonding moment between them, and she’s glad that she has people she can talk to.

Rex, meanwhile, is still busy storytelling with Zeke. They’re currently in the middle of recounting the events in the Spirit Crucible Elpys, and by now, a handful of the local village kids have stopped to listen in.

“...And it was then that everyone stopped to look at Nia,” Rex says, his eyes alight (and maybe his cheeks slightly flushed) as he recalls the memory. “Her appearance was totally different, and we realized that she was a Blade all along. No—a Flesh Eater.”

“We were jolly surprised by such a revelation,” Zeke adds, nodding. “No one could have seen it coming.”

“Yeah. And then Nia said she—”

Rex freezes mid-sentence as he realizes what he was about to say. He can’t just say that Nia confessed to him out loud; that would cause unnecessary embarrassment for both of them, even if the Flesh Eater is elsewhere, having some kind of chat with Pandoria and Brighid.

His face heats up even more now, and his heartbeat quickens as he starts to panic. He needs to find an excuse to leave, but unfortunately, nothing particularly clever comes to mind. Still, he tries his best to keep his cool long enough for him to slip away.

“Er, s-said she was no longer afraid,” he stumbles, desperate to salvage the situation. “And that she was...th-thankful that I helped her realize that she, uh, shouldn’t be afraid of who she truly is.”

_How eloquent._

“A-anyway, up to you, Zeke! See ya!”

“Wait, what? Where are you going? Why am I in charge all of a sudden?”

Rex is already jogging as far away as he can. “I’ll uh, tell you later!” he responds, before turning back around to make his escape.

As he runs, the brunette suddenly remembers why they came to Garfont in the first place. He takes some quick glances around the village while it passes by in a blur, and finds that Yew and Zuo haven’t returned yet. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, they still have some hours to kill before the show starts, so Rex has enough time to take a moment to calm his racing heart.

And to think about... _other things_.

The salvager finally stops somewhere near the village entrance. He casually leans against a wall of rock before slowly sliding down to the ground, his face still warm as his brain forces him to remember every detail of Nia’s confession as vividly as if it were yesterday. The luminescent glow of her Core Crystal, the way her hair sparkled in the light, and the way she gently took his hand and looked into his eyes with nothing but pure _devotion_.

Rex groans and covers his face with his hands. He really does have it bad.

After a moment of inward cursing and praying that the blush on his face would finally die down, Rex moves his hands in favor of crossing his arms over his chest. By falling in love with Nia, he’s jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. He’s crushing on her hard, and while she said she loved him, does she still feel that way? It’s been a long time since all of that happened…

What if she’s moved on by now? Has he waited too long? What if he tells her how he feels, only for her to say that they were never meant to be together because of everything that’s happened? Because she loved him while he was head over heels for Pyra? Because nothing escalated between them even after he’s moved on and accepted Pyra’s death?

...Because he was too late?

The teen shakes his head. It’s only fair that this would happen. It’s his fault that Nia had to suffer from her emotions, and for things to turn out like this, he had it coming. It’s just the world’s way of punishing him for hurting his best friend.

Rex wants to accept that, if only because it makes so much sense.

But he doesn’t accept it— _can't_ accept it—because he’s too much of an optimist to let go of hope like that.

So he stands, dusts himself off, and marches his way back to where most of the group have been for the last couple of hours, tapping Zeke on the shoulder once he approaches him from behind.

“And once all of that was over, we—huh? Oh, chum! You’re back! Say, what was all that fuss about earlier?”

Rex hurriedly hushes the prince before gesturing for him to stand. “I, uh...need to talk to you about something. Do you mind stepping away for a bit?”

Zeke hesitates before finally sighing and standing up from his spot in the circle. “...I suppose. It’s up to you, Mòrag.”

And with that, the two make their way to someplace more obscure, where they won’t be interrupted. Rex tells Zeke about the conflicting emotions that have plagued him for the past month, and his fellow Driver listens all the while, not once daring to interrupt or comment.

When Rex is finally done spilling the details, a smirk begins to tug at the corner of Zeke’s lips, but he doesn’t say anything at first.

The younger of the two knits his eyebrows. “What?”

The prince of Tantal suddenly grins, his eyes dancing impishly.

“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you, chum?”

Rex groans and hides his face in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes I made a Zelda reference. No I will not apologize for it
> 
> So I may or may not have totally Bamboozled everyone in the Discord with this. I made this whole thing about how I was gonna cancel TROMH for the time being because motivation was so hard to come by and that it would be for the best that I don't stress myself out and tHEY FELL FOR IT SO HARD AKSJDAKJ
> 
> To everyone in the Discord, I'm so sorry, but I'm also not. April Fools guys ;3
> 
> also I did like zero research on how to write the Rare Blades featured here, but hopefully they're not too ooc
> 
> Hope you guys are happy to see TROMH again, and I'll see y'all in chapter 8 when we get into Real Angst Hours and then Real Embarrassment Hours afterwards

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, reader! Thanks for taking some time to read The Ricochet of My Heart. If you have any questions, comments, or otherwise constructive criticism, feel free to comment below! I don't always reply right away, but I do what I can. I hope you enjoyed this crazy ride, and with that, I bid you adieu.
> 
> With love,
> 
> -Architect
> 
> [PS: XENOBLADE FANFICTION DISCORD IS READY!! JOIN HERE >>> https://discord.gg/FjgmPwA ]


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